Give In to Me
by KRiSTiNEDAHLiNG
Summary: She's not the kind of girl who has an one night stand. It doesn't matter how good looking Wade is. Still what will she do when he proposes something a little different? Zoe/Wade.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS. IT'S MY FIRST ATTEMPT AND IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I NORMALLY WRITE. THANKS FOR CHECKNIG IT OUT. - KRISTINE. **

**RATING: PG**

**DISCLAIMER: UH. NO. **

**GIVE IN TO ME**

- Z - & - W -

She closed her eyes the moment she shut her front door. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was heaving like she'd just run a marathon after eating a Big Mac and supersize fries. All she could think as she desperately tried to catch her breath and calm her frazzled nerves was that she'd never been kissed like that before. Everything from her head to her toes was on fire and buzzing. If only she could have stayed in the moment and allowed herself to appreciate his Southern charm and soft, but firm caress. If only she could have stopped being herself for a moment. Finally she might have understood that being with a man could actually be as romantic and satisfying as romance novels always promised and proclaimed.

With one last nearly calm, deep breath she pushed away from her door to take in just how bad she must have looked. She frowned so deeply her mother would have shot her a disapproving look had she been there. She'd always said Zoe needed to do everything she could to keep the frown lines at bay. According to her being a brilliant surgeon was not enough to convince a good looking man to glance Zoe's way. Now that all the adrenaline from her sultry makeout session had worn off she felt too tired to do anything more than quickly wash her makeup off and brush the tangles out of her wet hair before pulling it back into a messy bun. Within five minutes she was wearing her most comfortable pajamas and pouring over the new issue of the Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery wondering again how the hell she had managed to end up in Bluebell instead of New York.

She was in the middle of what she thought was a particularly interesting study on the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for patients that had had a Sternotomy when she heard a knock on her front door. She glanced at her alarm clock and wondered why someone was stopping by at close to midnight. She got out of bed and considered pulling on a robe, but decided not to on account of the fact that even though the sun had gone down it was still far too hot for her liking. She immediately regretted that decision though when she saw Wade standing there in his still nearly soaked t-shirt looking so impossibly attractive she wondered why he'd never modeled.

"You're staring so hard you're bound to put a hole through my sternum Doc," he noted in that cocky drawl of his that somehow always made her a little weak in the knees.

"What do you want Wade?" She asked in a tone that made it clear she was no longer under the spell of the heat wave. "It's nearly midnight. Some of us have actual jobs you know."

He smirked pointing out, "You certainly didn't seem too concerned about work twenty minutes ago."

If she had a little more energy she might have been able to keep up with their usual banter. Hell she might have been able to roll her eyes and shoot him a defiant look. As it is she was nearly dead on her feet so instead she simply whispered, "What do you want Wade?"

It seemed he sensed just how tired she was because instead of giving her an answer that would have surely infuriated her he instead said, "You."

"I already told you-" she started.

"Not like that," he interrupted because he could sense one of her mile-a-minute rants brewing beneath the surface. "I want you to go on a date with me. Tomorrow night."

"Don't you have to work?"

"I'll take off."

"Won't they need you to work? It's a Friday."

"I said I can take off. Damn it Zoe just say okay like any other normal damn red blooded woman who stares at me the way you do would."

Her eyes widened in surprise. He'd never called her Zoe before. Normally it was just Doc this and Doc that. Maybe it was because of that reason alone she smiled and said, "Okay."

"Okay?" He asked, obviously a little surprised that she'd actually given in.

She smiled and nodded.

"Well okay then. I'll pick you up here at 6:00 tomorrow night." He said backing away it seemed before she could change her mind.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding once the door was closed and she was once again by herself. Of all the things she had been expecting when she saw him standing on her front porch that hadn't been one of them. Whether or not this was a trick she didn't know. She'd never been good at reading men. That was just another thing that could be chalked up to spending more time focusing on being a doctor than trying to learn how to be a good girlfriend. She imagined for a second what her mother would say had she known about Wade. She could only imagine it would have been something degrading and infuriating like don't try to use him for anything more than a stress reliever because men like that aren't made to be husbands.

She sighed and glanced out the window one more time as though he was going to suddenly come back and tell her that it was all just an elaborate ruse. Finally when it seemed obvious that she did indeed have a date with Wade Kinsella tomorrow night she climbed into her bed. Now though reading her journal wouldn't suffice as an appropriate distraction. Instead she texted Rose hoping that she'd be up and willing to come over tomorrow to help her find something to wear at one of the shops in town on her lunch break. She didn't even have to look in her closet to know that there was nothing in there that would work. After an of course text from Rose that was with a dozen exclamation points Zoe finally let her head hit the pillow.

For the first time since moving to Bluebell she went to sleep wearing an actual smile.

- Z - & - W -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO THAT WAS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT THIS FANDOM. ALSO THIS RIGHT NOW IS A ONE-SHOT BUT IF YOU WANTED IT TO BE A MULTICHAPTER FIC YOU CAN LET ME KNOW IN A REVIEW. I LOVE WADE/ZOE. SERIOUSLY THEY'RE ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS GOING ON TELEVISION RIGHT NOW. I HOPE YA'LL LIKED THIS! - KRISTINE. **


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I HOPE YA'LL LIKE THIS CHAPTER! I WAS TERRIFIED TO WRITE IT. I WAS AFRAID IT WOULDN'T LIVE UP TO THE FIRST ONE! DON'T YOU HATE WHEN THAT HAPPENS? ANYWAY I HOPE THIS LIVES UP TO YA'LLS EXPECTATIONS! - KRISTINE.**

**RATING: PG**

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO. **

**CHAPTER TWO: A RED FLORAL DRESS**

- W - & - Z -

"I cannot believe you are going on a date!" Rose gushed in a loud whisper that was more like a muted shout the moment that Zoe reached their predetermined meeting spot, the gazebo in the center of town.

Zoe's head whipped around to make sure that none of the old bitties were within hearing distance. The last thing she needed was yet another rumor to make its way around town about her. While everyone in town seemed to love Wade, she was almost certain they wouldn't be able to muster much appreciation for him dating Zoe. She could imagine the mock-horror they would share at the thought of her snatching up one of the last single, good-looking men Bluebell had to offer that was still in the appropriate marrying age bracket.

"No one's around. Now spill. How the heck did this happen? Last I checked you and Wade couldn't even be in the same room for more than 10 minutes without biting each other's heads off." Rose said in that typical mile a minute style that her mother had described as being the hallmark of being a teenager, whatever that meant.

"Honestly Rose I don't even know," Zoe replied. She'd spent most of the morning trying to figure out when exactly Wade's interest in her became more than just physical. Then again she wasn't even sure when hers became more than physical. A week ago the only compliment she might have mustered for her neighbor was that his abs could earn him a spot on a Times Square billboard. That was about it. Now though she could actually admit that he was more than a nice smile and their banter actually ignited something in her that she hadn't realized had been practically left for dead. She sighed to herself softly. Averaging less than one patient a day was not good for her psyche. It left her way with too much time to think.

"Well I'm glad you picked Wade because the gossips said you had your eyes on George but I knew you were just too classy and sophisticated to try and steal him from Lemon even though she is kind of terrible and it would be hard to feel sorry for her."

Zoe paled for a moment. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little interested in George. Then again she recognized deep down that that had more to do with their shared love of New York City than anything else. He certainly didn't have the ability to give her butterflies like Wade did. No, it seemed all Wade had to was flash her one of his cocky grins and she was struck thinking how it is a man who seemed to live off of beer could look so good.

"Plus Wade is obviously the much better catch," Rose added even though she was pretty sure that Zoe was spending more time involved in a conversation with herself than the one they were presently sharing.

Zoe despite her obvious interest in Wade couldn't help but snort at Rose's statement. "I have a hard time believing that Wade, everyone's favorite Rammer Jammer bartender, is a better catch than George, who goes to church every Sunday and is a successful lawyer."

Rose stopped dead in her tracks and shot Zoe a curious look that looked almost like a mix of surprise and amusement.

"What?" Zoe asked in that defensive way that she'd been trying to tone down in her attempt to fit in with the locals. It seemed it was easier to take the girl out of New York than the New York out of the girl.

"Let's just say that there is more to Wade Kinsella than being everyone's favorite Rammer Jammer bartender," Rose said and then she practically started to skip down the road.

"Are you not going to tell me what you mean by that?"

"Nope," Rose trilled.

"I thought we were friends Rose."

"We are friends."

"Then why won't you tell me whatever it is you know about Wade that I obviously don't?" Zoe asked in a tone that was just bordering on whining. If she could have heard herself she probably would have cringed.

"Because that wouldn't be nearly as fun," she explained before again coming to a complete stop. "We're here!" She said as she motioned to the place they were standing in front of.

Zoe stopped her whining to look up at the sign above the store. Somehow she'd never noticed this place before. She started to say that she wasn't big on the thought of a consignment store, but knew that Rose had obviously brought her here for a reason. For once she managed to actually keep her mouth close and instead forced a smile and allowed Rose to usher her inside.

"Rose!" A slim redhead that Zoe didn't recognize exclaimed loudly in a way that suggested Rose's name had a dozen o's in it instead of just one.

"Hey Leslie!" Rose greeted as she allowed the woman to wrap her up in a tight hug. "I brought you a new customer," she said as she motioned to Zoe who was standing awkwardly to the side.

"The new doctor," Leslie replied in delight. "It's Zoe, right?"

"Right," Zoe said as she stuck out her hand. She still wasn't entirely used to people knowing who she was without them ever meeting.

"You don't know me. I'm Leslie. I'm Rose's older sister Vi's best friend. Still I have been checking out your fashion sense since the day you arrived in town. I tell Rose all the time that I wish horrid girls like that Lemon would use you as an example instead of a punchline." She said so quickly that it seemed as if she hadn't even taken a single breath.

Zoe was shocked she understood it all. She guessed she'd been down South longer than she'd realized. Not that long ago she would have been shooting Rose a look that said, um what. Instead now she joked, "Thank goodness Rose brought me here. I've started to think that people down here didn't know that the June Cleaver look was worth cringing over."

"Now why on Earth would someone as fashionable as you be coming into my little store? This definitely isn't the place to come if you want to be in with the likes of Lemon and the memories madams or whatever they call themselves."

"She's got a date with Wade and she needs to dress like she's going somewhere other than a funeral," Rose interjected, looking up from the racks that she'd been perusing while they'd been talking.

Zoe quickly shot Rose a look that said I thought we weren't going to spread my business around time.

"Wade, huh? Girl I heard you had eyes for George Tucker."

"You too?" Zoe asked, obviously exasperated by how quickly gossip about her seemed to spread in this town.

"Zoe you've got to understand that the bitties have been dying to have something to gossip about and you are the perfect material for them. Hell you're probably keeping a few people in this damn town from dying to death. Still Wade Kinsella is a fine piece of man. You've got even better taste than I gave you credit for."

Zoe blushed even though she wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe it was because the moment anyone mentioned how good looking Wade was, she instantly thought of all the times she'd appreciated his shirtless figure. He definitely would go down as the best looking neighbor she'd ever had, if nothing else.

"See Zoe you're helping more people than you thought you were," Rose joked as she pulled out a red floral dress. "And you have to try this on."

"I'm not much of a floral girl," Zoe said as she hesitated taking the dress from Rose.

Leslie laughed loudly, "No one is until they see how good it looks on them. Believe me girl, Rose has an eye for fashion. Now you go try this on," she demanded as she pushed Zoe towards the dressing rooms. "We need you looking extra good to make all the single girls in this town even more jealous of you. I don't think Wade's taken a girl on an actual date in like three years."

Zoe took a deep breath before opening the door to the dressing room and letting Leslie and Rose see her. She looked at them expectantly, obviously thinking that they would agree that she couldn't pull off floral. Instead they exchanged delighted looks before gushing about how good she looked. It was only then that she looked at herself in floor length mirror and realized that maybe she could pull off a little more than she realized.

"And I've got the perfect shoes to go with it!" Leslie assured her.

Zoe smiled and nodded before glancing at her reflection in the mirror again. Once again she was struck by the thought that she seemed happier than she had in a long time. Who knew that something other than a surgery could actually make her smile? She certainly didn't.

- W - & - Z -

Just as Zoe was putting the cap back on her lipgloss there was a knock on her front door. She glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was 5:58. He was early which was just about the last thing she had expected. She checked her reflection in the mirror one more time before attempting to rush to the front door without seeming like she was rushing.

She nearly fainted when she opened the door and found him standing there looking impossibly attractive even though all he was wearing was a white button down with the sleeves rolled up his elbows and a pair of khakis. Then again she had a feeling Wade was the type of man who could look good even when he was covered in dirt. When she realized that he was smirking at her she replaced her flustered attraction with the more normal amused irritation, "You're early."

"I figured you'd like that. Would you prefer I was late?" He asked in a tone that made it clear he already knew her answer, but was going to bait her a little.

"Of course not," she replied, wondering briefly how someone who could get her riled up so quickly could also make her weak in the knees.

"You know most women would just interpret that as me just being excited about our date. They would appreciate the gesture."

"I didn't say I didn't."

"Well you certainly didn't sound like it. If I didn't know for fact that you went out and bought that outfit just for this date I would think you weren't all that excited to be wined and dined by yours truly." He said as he gently pulled her out of her house, closing the door behind her, before wrapping his arm around her small waist.

The smell of his cologne briefly distracted her before she remembered his assertion about buying this outfit just for their date. Even though it was true she was sure as hell not going to let him know that. "I did not buy this outfit for our date."

"Yes you did and before you try to convince me otherwise take into consideration that means I've spent enough time observing your beautiful frame that I know when you're wearing something new." He told her wearing a look that was a potent mix of sultry and seriousness. Suffice to say it only made Zoe grateful that his arm was wrapped around her waist. "Plus I'd be lying if I said I didn't dress up for you too." He whispered in her ear before opening her car door and helping her inside.

This was already the best decision she had made since moving to the Deep South, Zoe mused silently before settling into the car and allowing herself a chance to watch how his muscles flexed beneath his shirt as he shifted gears.

"I'm surprised you haven't peppered me with a dozen questions about where we are going." Wade said as he pulled the car out of the long dirt drive.

"Would you have answered them if I had?"

"Of course not, it'd ruin the surprise."

"That's what I figured. I thought I would try just appreciating the moment on for size."

Wade chuckled softly, "I bet it helps that you've got eye candy to look at while you're doing it. I don't know if a woman has ever spent as much time staring at my physique as you do. Lucky for you I spend almost as much time staring at your behind especially when you wear those little black shorts of yours. The man who designed them was a genius."

Even though she rolled her eyes, she smiled a little too. Yep this was definitely the best decision she'd made in a while.

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: WHAT'D YOU THINK? JUST SO YOU KNOW I'VE DECIDED TO TAKE A CREATIVE LICENSE WITH WADE'S BACKGROUND. ARE YOU EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THAT MEANS? ALSO I HOPE YA'LL LIKE LESLIE BECAUSE YOU'LL PROBABLY SEE A LITTLE MORE OF HER. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. I WAS REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT WRITING IT. I'M TERRIFIED THAT IT WON'T LIVE UP TO THE FIRST CHAPTER. THE DATE IS NEXT CHAPTER. ONCE AGAIN YA'LL ARE THE BEST! I SERIOUSLY CAN'T WAIT TO READ YOUR REVIEWS. THEY'VE BEEN MAKING DAYS TOTALLY AWESOME SINCE I POSTED THE FIRST CHAPTER! - KRISTINE. **


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER SO FAR. I HOPE YA'LL LIKE IT. THERE IS A LOT OF ZOE AND WADE IN THERE. YA'LL ARE AMAZING! - KRISTINE. **

**RATING: PG**

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO. **

**CHAPTER THREE: BROCK**

- W - & - Z -

Zoe glanced at Wade curiously as they continued down what seemed like an endless road. It was taking just about everything she had to trust that Wade had an actual plan for their date and was not just driving aimlessly wondering where to take her. She'd been on a date like that once in college. They'd travelled the same three blocks four times before she finally mustered the courage to ask if he was lost or something. The guy, Tad or Ted, turned a distinct shade of red and admitted that he hadn't been expecting her to actually say yes when he asked her out so when it came time for their date later that night he'd had nowhere idea where to actually take her. Still that had been in the city where she had a reasonable idea of the layout and could tell when they were basically just going in circles. She couldn't say she had the same feel for South Alabama yet.

"You're dying aren't you?" Wade asked, taking his eyes of the road for a second to smirk at her. It was obvious by the twinkle in his eye that he was amused.

"No," she said so quickly it was clear that she was lying.

Wade chuckled softly and shook his head at her. "Zoe Hart, you have to be the most stubborn woman I've ever met and that is saying something. Believe me I have known some strong-willed women in my time. Southern women like to make people believe they are delicate flowers but believe me they are thorny son of a guns if you make them mad."

Zoe smiled, musing quietly that there was something about the way he said her name that elevated her heartbeat only slightly less than kissing him did. "It's just we've been driving for nearly an hour which just isn't a common travel time for a date in New York. Seriously most of my dates were within walking distance of my apartment."

"Well and I know you already know this all too well, but you aren't in New York anymore. Down here when men think a woman is special we are usually willing to drive a ways to wine and dine here." Wade confided quietly as he pulled the car into the parking lot of the only place he thought was special enough for a first date with her. "And you should know we're here. Now please have the good sense to stay seated so I can open your door for you."

Zoe gaped openly when she laid eyes on a restaurant so beautiful she would have probably guessed it was somewhere a little more refined like Charleston. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when Wade opened her door sporting a grin that said he knew she'd be impressed by his choice. Instead of coming up with the kind of snarky response that is obnoxious grins usually earned from her she decided to just smile and let him help her out of his car. When he looped his arm around her waist she noticed just how perfectly they seemed to fit together.

- Z - & - W -

"Hey Wade," the mousy blonde hostess replied, visibly perking up the moment that she returned to her stand and found them standing there. She couldn't have been all that much older than Rose and was wearing wire-rimmed glasses that would have made New York hipsters salivate. It was obvious that despite the fact that Zoe was by Wade's side the girl was practically drooling at the mere sight of him. Zoe glanced up at him and found that if he noticed the way she was looking at him he certainly didn't show it. "We've got your regular table all ready for you," she said as she grabbed two menus.

"Thanks Millie," he said as he removed his arm from Zoe's waist so that she could walk in front of him.

"No problem Wade," the young girl replied, standing there awkwardly for a moment before quickly winking at Wade, scowling at Zoe, and rushing back to the front to her stand where customers were waiting on her.

"Seems you have an admirer," Zoe teased.

Wade rolled his eyes. "She's just a kid."

"That's where you are so wrong. She's a teenager. That's the age where high school boys are definitely not cool enough and all you want is that one particular older guy to look your way."

"And even a driven young girl look you fell victim to such circumstances?"

Zoe laughed quietly, cringing at the memory of the guy who she would have done anything to simply look her way. Just as she opened her mouth to tell Wade the story, their waitress showed up.

"I heard you were bringing a date. I switched shifts just to see if the stories were true." The beautiful light-skinned black woman whose nametag read Jasmine said. Unlike Millie, she kept looking back and forth between Wade and Zoe grinning as though this was akin to winning the lottery. "I'm Jasmine as you probably already know assuming you can read my nametag. Are you that new doctor from New York my Aunt Dot keeps talking about?"

"That'd be me. It's nice to meet you Jasmine. I'm Zoe Hart."

"Wade, how the hell did you convince a beautiful doctor to spend the evening with you?" Jasmine asked. "I figured you were just here with your agent until Mille came in the back whining."

"Agent?" Zoe said not sure if she was more surprised or confused.

"That's just what she calls a friend of mine," Wade told her easily. "Jasmine's all about nicknames."

Jasmine forced a tight smile and nodded. "That I am. Anyway I'll get you guys some drinks and leave you two a minute to look over the menu. I already know Wade is going to want a sidecar, but what can I get you Zoe?"

"Is there any way I could get a Cuba Libre?" Zoe asked not sure how experienced the bartender was going to be.

"Of course," Jasmine said and then she was gone quickly.

Once Jasmine was gone Wade smiled and reached across the table to give her hand a quick squeeze.

"I don't know how you do that," she replied as she continued to look over the menu.

"Do what?"

"Make everyone fall in love with you. I'm terrible at it." Zoe admitted as she finally decided on the Mahi-mahi.

"I have a hard time believing that. You had my attention the moment I laid eyes on you. I can still remember just how angry you looked when you burst into my cottage. I couldn't stop thinking about you for the rest of the night. The two lovely ladies that were keeping me company that night weren't big fans of that."

"I can only imagine. Still you, Lavon, Rose, and George are the only four people in the whole damn town who doesn't seem ready for me to go back to New York."

"I didn't say I wasn't ready for you to go back to New York. I was just saying that you certainly captivated my attention." He joked.

She rolled her eyes and gently kicked him under the table.

"Ya'll know what you two want?" Jasmine asked as she set their drinks down on the table.

Both of them quickly ordered and Jasmine turned to leave before pausing to reply, "You two sure are cute. I mean damn near adorable even."

- W - & - Z -

Zoe groaned softly as they left the restaurant. She could already hear her mother chastising her about the amount of high calorie meals she'd been eating lately. "That was amazing," she murmured as she held his hand and followed his lead out of there.

"It's not over yet. I have one more surprise for you." He said as he led her around the back of the restaurant to where there was a small harbor. "Have you ever gone for a moonlight boat ride?"

"Can't say that I have," she admitted as they neared his boat. She'd been expecting something significantly smaller. Instead what she found was more like a small yacht. "This is your boat?"

"Hey don't sound so surprised," he said laughing as he pulled his keys out of his pocket. "I may not be a doctor but I do okay for myself."

"I'm sure of that. I just hope that this was not attached to your trailer when you ran over Earl." She said, laughing softly. "Brock?" she asked as she neared it.

"Just an inside joke," he managed. He caught her off-guard and lifted her up before climbing up himself.

"Why do I feel like you've got all of these secrets you aren't sharing with me?" Zoe asked noticing that he seemed a little tenser now. "I've never heard someone called Agent as a nickname."

"Let's make a deal," he said trying to sound upbeat. "You tell me about the guy who was too old for you but you wanted when you were a teenager and I'll share my biggest secret with you."

Zoe stared at him for a second before clearing her throat. "His name was Gordon and he was training under my father. He was so passionate about surgery and impressing my father that I thought he was my soulmate. I decided that the night of my parent's annual New Year's Eve party I would make sure he was my midnight kiss. Instead he showed up with his fiancée Claudette. I was devastated of course."

"What'd old Gordo look like?"

"He was maybe 5'8" and if I'd paid enough attention I would have noticed his blonde hair was thinning."

"I'm going to guess that even as a teenager you were too good looking for him."

"Probably," she agreed. "But you couldn't have told me that then. Claudette had a think French accent and talked about all sorts of philosophical concepts that to this day bore me to tears, but at the time I thought that was why he didn't look my way."

"It probably had more to do with a desire to avoid jail time." Wade pointed out, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Then again if I had been old Gordon I would have risked it for you."

She laughed knowing full well that he was telling the truth. "Your turn," she said, reminding him of their deal.

"What if I told you I was a professional outdoorsman with my own television show?"

"I'd probably laugh. Is that even a job?" She asked thinking that he was just teasing her.

Wade smiled and nodded. "It's a pretty good one too. I am one of the stars of the most popular outdoors shows on television right now. Well I was one of the stars. I walked away from my show when my best friend and co-star Brock died. This boat was renamed for him."

"How could you not tell me this before?"

"Because I liked the idea that you were attracted to me even though I was your lovable loser next door neighbor who paid the bills by bartending at the Rammer Jammer. I liked the idea that you liked me for me and I was afraid that this knowledge would change things for us. Does it?"

"Maybe," she admitted softly. "I just I need to wrap my mind around all of this."

Wade's face fell. It was obvious that he was hoping for a different reaction. "That's understandable. I'll just take us back to shore."

Zoe nodded, but didn't say anything. Instead she just stared at him and realized that she didn't really know Wade at all.

- W - & - Z -

"Listen Zoe I can understand that you're upset that I kept such big information from you. I can get that, but please know that the guy who is on television is not the real me. The real me is the guy who has made it is his business to torture, kiss, and flirt with you. So please wrap your mind around all of this and then agree to go on a second date with me."

"You think we should do this again?" She asked, obviously surprised. She couldn't imagine that he would be willing to put up with a girl who ran as hot and cold as she felt like she was running since he dropped such dramatic news on her.

"Of course I do. Zoe Hart you are the most beautiful and interesting woman I have ever gone on a date with. I'd hate it if this was a onetime thing."

"Night Wade. I had a lot of fun tonight. You really do know how to wine and dine a girl. I'm sorry that I'm not better at taking exciting news. You have to understand that this is just another curveball someone has thrown at me in a count where I was obviously expecting a fastball." She explained before gently brushing her lips against his cheek and then rushing into her cottage before she could think about kissing him somewhere else.

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: WADE DRIVES A REALLY NICE CAR. OBVIOUSLY HE MUST HAVE MORE MONEY THAN THE SHOW LETS ON. I EXPLAINED HOW THAT COULD BE. HAHA. I HOPE YA'LL LIKED THIS CHAPTER. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR THOUGHTS. I'LL TRY TO UPDATE AGAIN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I'M IN GRAD SCHOOL AND REALLY IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE AMAZING REVIEWS I'VE BEEN RECEIVING I PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MAKE AS MUCH TIME FOR THIS STORY AS I HAVE BEEN. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT YA'LL HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS CHAPTER. YA'LL ARE REALLY AMAZING! - KRISTINE. **


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE. HOPE YA'LL ENJOY THIS! THERE IS PLENTY AND I MEAN PLENTY OF WADE/ZOE. - KRISTINE. P.S. I WAS GLAD YA'LL SEEMED TO LIKE THE BACKSTORY I CREATED FOR WADE. **

**RATING: PG **

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO. **

**CHAPTER FOUR: SOUTHERN GENTLEMEN**

- W - & - Z -

Zoe sat on her bed and stared longingly at her computer screen. She wanted so badly to push the Google search button so that she could find everything the handy website had to offer on Wade. In New York City this had been normal practice for her especially when she was considering dating another med student. She was always amazed at things that would come up. One prospective suitor had actually had a profile on that family watchdog site. Suffice to say she'd canceled that date before it had even happened. Still for some reason in this instant she could not hit the search button. It was like no matter how long her finger hovered above the enter button she could not seem to make it push down. And even though she wanted to pretend she couldn't understand why, she knew it exactly why it was. She wanted _him_ to be the one to tell her his story.

She sighed and took a moment to check her makeup before pulling on a comfortable pair of slippers and making the short way to his cottage. She would have probably stood there for at least a solid five minutes trying to work up the nerve to knock, but of course the stair had to creak under her foot the moment that she stepped on it.

"I'm not in the mood Lavon!" Wade hollered as he sat on his couch nursing a beer and wondering how his date had seemingly gone from perfect to awful in a matter of five minutes.

She took a deep breath and pulled open his screen-door before she could convince herself to take his tired tone as a sign that she probably wasn't his favorite person right that minute.

"Damn it Lavon," Wade murmured as he sat up on his couch expecting to find his good friend standing there with a look that asked how the hell his date had left him this moody. Instead he was surprised to find Zoe still wearing the dress from their date wearing an expression that read like nervousness. "Zoe…" he whispered as he stood.

"Sorry to barge in on you like this," she said, biting her lip and wondering how she could have made him as sad as he looked. The normally cocky and exuberant Wade she knew and loved had little in common with the man she was staring at even though the outfit and beer were the same. Still the usual twinkle he wore whenever they were around each other seemed to have been vanquished by the way she took his news.

"It's fine," he said as he moved a couple of things so that she could sit on his couch. "I just didn't think I would be seeing you this quickly."

"I didn't think so either," she admitted as she sat down, gently patting the spot next to her so that he would join her. "I went inside and I started to look you up. I wanted all of your cards out on the table too. But then I realized that you should be the one to do that and not the Internet." She explained, feeling more nervous than she did even last when she showed up at the Rammer Jammer and promised that that they could lose themselves in the heat wave together. "Anyway what I'm trying to say is. Tell me about the Wade I don't know."

"Are you sure you want to know? I don't want to throw another curveball at you." He joked softly, having a hard time believing that she was sitting here right now.

"Let's just say I'm fully prepared for the breaking ball."

"Later you'll have to tell me where all of this sports knowledge comes from," he told her. He took a moment to collect himself and then started, "I went to Auburn University because that's where people in my family go. You should hear the hell I catch for working at an establishment called the Rammer Jammer as well as being good friends with Lavon who during his time with the Tide made Auburn's fans lives hell. Anyway I was a freshman and I pledged KA. Do ya'll rush where you went to school?"

"Not like the down here. It's basically based on how much money your family has and nothing else. Even then it's mostly for guys and they're all secret societies." Zoe explained. She'd dated a known member of the Skulls when she was a freshman at Yale. Her best friend Elaine had dreamed up that they would get married and live a WASP fairly tale kind of life. She'd of course started to believe in it when he dumped her for an older girl who she realized talked less about surgery and more about him. It'd only hurt a little.

"Well down here, especially at SEC schools like Auburn, rushing is the best decision you can ever make. Anyway that's where I met Brock. He was everyone's favorite drinking buddy and the best damn bowhunter I'd ever met. You should have seen the man shotgun a beer. He was a legit pro. So by the time we were seniors we were inseparable. We made the first episode of Southern Gentlemen for his senior project, he was a Communications major. He showed it to his cousin Shawna who worked for CNN at the time and next thing you know we're two dumbass 22 year old college graduates who spent more time drinking beer and talking football than anything else during college and yet someone is offering to pay us to make more episodes of this show." Wade paused briefly and smiled at the memory of that first meeting. They'd thought Shawna was just pranking them to be honest. They hadn't even bothered to dress all that nicely because they'd been sure that this was all some setup. Of course when they pulled out contracts and started talking about paying thousands per episode suddenly they regretted wearing Guy Harvey instead of Brooks Brothers. "That was six years ago. Over a hundred episodes and a devoted following later we were living the good life."

"And then…" Zoe said, allowing her words to trail off because she could not face actually acknowledging Brock's death even though they'd already been over this part of story. Still it hurt her hurt knowing how deeply Wade must have taken this loss. It was obvious that Brock was more like a brother and less like a friend to Wade.

"It was in March. He'd left a late shoot to drive back to Dothan where his girlfriend Melanie was living. It was her birthday. They think he stopped to get gas and take a leak or something. Anyway he came out and there was an attempted robbery in progress." He stopped talking and closed his eyes willing the tears that were right there to stay at bay. Even if he thought Zoe Hart was worth work, he wasn't about to cry on her shoulder.

Zoe sensing his heartache reached out and did the thing that she'd never been good at doing. She squeezed his hand and offered him support and comfort. "You don't have to continue," she murmured.

He breathed in deeply and smiled sadly as he quickly wiped his eyes. "He stopped the son of a gun but not before taking two to the chest. You would have hated him, at least at first. Even though we had been out of college for six years he still acted like life was still one big damn party and his main responsibility was to ensure that people had something to talk about the next day. People always said I was the serious one."

Zoe smiled and wondered silently how she had underestimated him. "I have a hard time believing that."

"To be honest I do too."

"I'm sorry for freaking out earlier."

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I just I used to be the guy who got out of Bluebell. I can remember telling George he was a fool for coming back here. I told he was insane for thinking Lemon was worth leaving the bright lights of New York City even though I'll tell you right now I think your hometown is overrated. I went there once for a photoshoot and just couldn't understand how George had made it there."

"I didn't know you and George were friends."

"Believe it or not I'm the one who introduced him to Lemon. I was interested in a friend of hers and wanted that friend to come with me to my formal. She wouldn't come without Lemon. George had just gotten out of a relationship and owed me a favor. I never dreamed he'd been foolish even to fall in love with her demanding ass." He snorted thinking back to George saying that he thought Lemon was something else and not the way Wade thought.

"What happened to her little friend?" Zoe asked, wondering if this was some girl that she'd run into one day.

Wade grimaced. "She puked all over the backseat of my jeep and basically cried herself to sleep on my couch. I never offered to call and she seemed to both anticipate and understand that decision."

Zoe laughed even though she knew she should have felt bad for the girl. She could remember the first time she drank more than she realized. She hadn't puked in the backseat of a car, but she'd fallen asleep on her bathroom floor hugging a toilet.

"So you're Harley Wilkes illegitimate daughter and I'm the guy who swore he'd never come back to this place, but somehow did. If that isn't a sign that we were fated to meet I don't know what is?" He said flashing a grin that Zoe was more accustomed to. It seemed her willingness to listen to his story without fleeing was enough of a positive sign for him to regain his usual confidence and swagger.

Zoe rolled her eyes even though she silently thought his logic actually sounded pretty good well at least better than it usually did. "You know other than the ending that was actually the best date I'd ever been on."

"Well I'm glad. I put more effort into planning it than I've put into anything in a long while. I figured that guys up there had probably taken you to the opera and all of these other places that we just don't have down this way."

"You should know right now that I hate the opera. My mother used to force me to go all of the time but I'd always end up falling asleep during intermission. I'd much rather go to a Mets game."

"The Mets?"

"David Wright's a great guy and my Dad grew up in Queens." She explained. She was used to people wondering why a girl who grew up on the Upper East Side would love baseball at all and even worse would love the Mets when Robinson Cano lived two penthouses up from her parent's.

"I think I know where we could go for a second date if you decide within the next five days that you'd be willing to go on another date."

"What if I said I was more than willing to give this thing another try as long as on the next one you aren't going to tell me you have a wife or something else equally shocking."

"Then I'd say you need to get Rose to take you back to Leslie's and make sure you get something orange."

Zoe smiled and nodded before noting the time. She groaned. She'd agreed to open the practice in the morning just in case there was some sort of emergency. "I've got to get to bed. I've got to be up early in the morning."

"You could stay here," Wade offered his grin somehow even wider than it usually was.

She chuckled softly and rolled her eyes, "In your dreams."

"If only you knew," he mumbled as he pulled her up. "Before you leave though I think you owe me something."

"And what's that?"

"An improper kiss," he said before sweeping her up in a kiss. He smiled a little as he wrapped his arms around her small waist tighter when he felt her knees buckle a little. Finally when it seemed they both badly needed air he pulled back.

"Holy hell you are good at that," she admitted as she tried to catch her breath.

"You should see what else I'm good at."

"And on that note I'm going home. Thanks again for tonight."

"Are you going to come to the Rammer Jammer tomorrow night to see me?" He asked as she stepped off of his porch.

She paused and looked over her shoulder, "Wouldn't you like to know."

The moment she walked into her cottage and climbed into bed she saw that she had a text from Rose. She smiled and sleepily texted back, _Looks like we're going to need to go back to Leslie's_.

The last thing she thought before she drifted off to sleep was that it was hard to believe it had taken moving to Bluebell, Alabama for her to meet a man who not only made her weak in the knees, but also challenged her. Who would have thought that instead of being a lawyer, surgeon, stockbroker, or even CEO he would be a professional outdoorsman/bartender? And even though that was hard for her to wrap her mind around she knew she wouldn't have it any other way.

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: WHAT'D YOU THINK? I'M TRYING TO DECIDE HOW MUCH MORE THERE IS TO THIS STORY? I THINK MAYBE A FEW MORE CHAPTERS. WHAT DO YA'LL THINK? ANYWAY I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR FEEDBACK. IT CERTAINLY MAKES MY DAY. YA'LL ARE AMAZING! - KRISTINE. P.S. THIS NEW GUY ON THE PREVIEW HAS NOTHING ON WADE! THAT'S FOR SURE! **


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I HOPE YA'LL LIKE THIS. IT'S A FLUFFY FILLER, BUT IT'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION OF WADE. I LIKE DEVELOPING HIM BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNOW A LOT ABOUT ZOE. **

**RATING: PG **

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO. **

**CHAPTER FIVE: A BUDDING FRIENDSHIP**

- W - & - Z -

"Dr. Hart, you've got a patient." Addie said, peaking her head around the door. She only smirked a little when she saw Zoe's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. She couldn't help but think she'd never seen someone so damn pleased to have some work to do.

Zoe smiled in delight, happy to be proven wrong that she was going to come in on a Saturday for no reason other than Brick wanted to go up to Tuscaloosa for a game. "Send them on in," she told Addie as she quickly fluffed her hair. Only for a second did she consider how ridiculous she must have looked in that moment. After all she was about to see a patient, not entertain a man. Then again in Bluebell she was learning that entertaining a man came with a lot less judgment…well at least from the men.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Leslie replied, carrying a dress bag that was slung over her shoulder.

Zoe tried her damnedest to not let her face show just how disappointed she was at not having an actual patient. Still at least it seemed like maybe she was making a friend who was not a high school student with a curfew and a learner's permit. "Not on my end you didn't."

"Good because Rose told me ya'll were going to come in this week but I'm headed up to Auburn on Wednesday to see an old friend and won't be back until Monday. Still I wanted to bring this to you. Rose told me that Wade said you should come in and buy something in orange." Leslie explained quickly and excitedly as she zipped open the garment bag. She grinned like a proud mother whose son had just scored the game-winning goal as she held out the dress to Zoe. Her grin somehow became wider when she saw Zoe's jaw drop in what she was guessing was surprise.

Any sadness Zoe had felt about not having an actual patient disappeared as she laid eyes on the dress that could on be described as gorgeous. It was orange with blue stripes on it. She couldn't believe that it would be found in a consignment store in Bluebell, Alabama of all places. She would have guessed it was from some place in the Village and that it cost $500.

"You like it?" Leslie asked even though it was obvious that Zoe did from the way she just kept staring at it. If there was one thing that Leslie knew it was when a woman was in love with a piece of clothing.

Zoe smiled and nodded. "It's gorgeous. I honestly can't believe you'd sell it to me."

"Sell it to you?" Leslie asked, heart tone a mix of amusement and what seemed a little like mock-horror.

Zoe's heart sank. "Or just come by and show it to me." She amended, not sure how she had misread the situation this badly.

Leslie cackled before gently shoving Zoe's shoulder. "Zoe it's yours. I just wasn't going to sell it to you. I wanted you to have to it, free of charge."

"No, you've got let me pay for it. I insist." Zoe replied as she started to head behind her desk to fish out her wallet. "You and I both know a dress like that is too beautiful to be given away."

"Listen Zoe you've done this town a real service. Wade's been a damn mess. Until you came around I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen him crack anything even remotely looking like a smile. This is the least I could do for you." Leslie told her, gently squeezing her hand and looking her right in the eye so that she would understand just how serious she was. "Wade's Mama and mine are best friends. I've known him my whole life. You making him happy, has made me happier than it should."

She wasn't sure how exactly it happened, but the next thing Zoe knew she was tearing up. "You are seriously one of the nicest people I've ever met. Hell outside of Rose you are the kindest woman in this damn town."

"I think that's the first time anyone has ever said that to me." Leslie admitted with a wicked grin. "I'm a bit of a black sheep in these parts, but I'll explain all that to you after we finish my check-up."

"You mean you really wanted to see a doctor?" Zoe asked in surprise.

Leslie shrugged, "I might as well. It looks like with me opening the store I should stop pretending that I'm not putting up roots in Bluebell."

"I know exactly what you mean," Zoe replied as she escorted Leslie into the small exam room.

- W - & - Z -

"What was Wade like growing up?" She asked as she started to take her blood pressure.

Leslie smiled and bit her lip, "To be honest he was a total asshat. He was spoiled rotten and a chip of ole Jimmy Kinsella's block."

"I thought his Dad was Earl." Zoe asked, her mind flashing back to him singing Moon River. If she was being honest that was one of the first times she saw Wade as more than just eye candy.

"He is. Jimmy was his grandfather, his mama's daddy. Whatever Jimmy did Wade was bound and determined to do too so of course he was Mr. Everything. The three-sport athlete with a million girls pining for his attention all willing to do anything to say that Wade had taken a shining to them. You can imagine how many girls pretended they wanted to be friends with me just to get in good with him." Leslie explained as she watched Zoe write a few notes in her chart. "That's why I instantly liked you."

"What do you mean?"

"Cause you just saw Wade as this ordinary lovable loser. I knew that for once a girl seemed to actually like him for him. So many girls just want to hitch their wagon to his because they know he's on television." There was a time whenever Wade was going to take a girl on a date Leslie would find a way to meet her. Not a single one of them had gotten her seal of approval until Zoe.

"So you knew Brock?" She asked the question so softly it could hardly be described as a whisper.

Leslie paused. For the first time her personality was less than bubbly and exuberant.

"Sorry you don't have to answer that," Zoe assured her, noticing the obvious change in her demeanor. "I didn't mean to overstep any boundaries."

"Nonsense Zoe. You need to stop feeling like you have to tiptoe around me. You and I are going to be best friends since it isn't acceptable that either of us count on Rose as much as we do." Leslie told her trying to regain the same light tone that she normally had. "To answer your question I did know Brock. Actually I more than knew Brock. I dated him for most of college."

"Oh Les I didn't know," Zoe told her.

"No it's okay. Really it is. He was just a really good friend. He's actually the reason I opened my store. He was always telling me that I should do something in fashion instead of advertising. Anyway the day after I found out about his death I put in my two weeks notice at work and moved back down here." Leslie took a deep breath before finally flashing Zoe a megawatt smile. "He would have told Wade that you were too good for him and then flirted with you shamelessly."

"Wade said I wouldn't have liked him."

"Not at first," Leslie admitted. "But after a while he would have grown on you. He did that to you. I always chalked it up to the fact that when you told Brock something he actually listened. Plus he would have found every excuse to come in here all in the name of sticking it to Brick for being Lemon's daddy."

"He didn't like Lemon?" Zoe couldn't help but wonder how it is all of these people knew each other. She knew that Wade hadn't met Brock until college, which meant he wasn't from Bluebell.

"Brock never wanted George to leave New York. When he found out that George did he was furious especially once he found out it was all because Lemon wouldn't move. He couldn't stand her on principle ever since then."

"Did you guys all go to Auburn together?"

"George, Wade, and I. We are all from Auburn families. Lemon didn't even go to college, but if she had Brick would have died before he let her go anywhere but Alabama."

This Zoe could understand. She'd gone to Yale and then Columbia all because her father had gone to Yale and then Columbia. It had been important to her to follow in his footsteps. Briefly she wondered where Harvey went to medical school. She imagined it was probably somewhere down here.

"So does it look like I'm going to survive?"

Zoe nodded. "Looks like it."

"Good because I'm in dire need of a beer and I figure it should be about time for you to blow this Popsicle stand. Rumor has it that Wade is bartending tonight."

- W - & - Z -

"Hey sexy why don't you quit staring at my girl Zoe and wrestle us up a couple of drinks," Leslie hollered at Wade as they sat down at a table towards the back of the restaurant. When she saw that he rolled his eyes, she cackled.

"Zoe when I said you should make friends I didn't mean hot messes like Leslie here," he joked as he set the drink down in front of her. Since it was still early and the place was mostly empty he sat down at the empty table with them. "You know being friends with Leslie is only going to make Lemon hate you more, right?"

"I don't think that's possible," Zoe said after taking a sip of her drink. She didn't miss the fact that he remembered what she ordered the other night at dinner.

Leslie snorted loudly. "Obviously you have never heard the choice and very unladylike words that Lemon reserves for me. George is my cousin and I told him that he shouldn't marry her."

"Oh." She replied. "Then she might actually hate you more."

"It's all Wade's fault in the first place," Leslie pointed out. "I told him that I didn't want Lemon Breeland within a mile of my dear cousin but of course he wouldn't listen."

"I never thought he'd fall for the high-strung princess," Wade asserted defensively. "Honestly I figured he'd just kiss her a little and then would get back with MK within a week."

Zoe watched them banter. She wondered if she had any old friends she did this with. Probably not, she mused silently. All of her friends had been made in the name of achieving the goal of being a top surgeon. Once she didn't need them she usually moved on. The only friend she had in New York who she remotely thought of as being a best friend was Samira, who was a model that dated rich older men, and once had a pretty terrible coke habit. Her mother always said that she should strive to be more like Samira. She always silently thought that was laughable.

"So Wade why didn't you tell me here about Zoe catching you eye?" Leslie teased.

"Because I didn't want you to scare her off."

Zoe scoffed, "I don't scare that easily. I think you were embarrassed of me."

"Me embarrassed of you? I wasn't sure I could keep you from looking at George long enough to notice me."

"I didn't have eyes for George," Zoe reminded him in exasperation. "You should know you were the one I was kissing."

"Oh believe me George and I would have had words if he had been kissing you too. Plus it would have just left you disappointed. I've been told that George isn't nearly as good at kissing as me."

"I'm glad you've heard that word of mouth of I'd be afraid that you and George had been more than just frat brothers in college." Leslie joked. "Now you two stop bickering and just admit that you're gaga for each other."

Zoe glanced at him and bit her lip, "Maybe a little."

Wade rolled his eyes and planted a kiss on her. "Maybe a little my ass."

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO THIS WAS JUST A FLUFFY CHAPTER. I'VE GOT THREE OR FOUR MORE THAT ARE GOING TO BE A LITTLE MORE IMPORTANT TO THE STORY. STILL I LOVED LESLIE SO I WANTED TO INCLUDE HER SOME MORE. I'M AFRAID THAT I'VE BEEN LETTING PEOPLE DOWN AFTER THE FIRST CHAPTER BECAUSE RESPONSE IS DOWN. I HOPE YA'LL LIKE THIS ONE. IF THE RESPONSE IS GOOD THEN I'LL UPDATE BEFORE THANKSGIVING. IF NOT IT MIGHT BE A WEEK OR TWO. THANKS AGAIN FOR TUNING BACK IN! YA'LL ARE GREAT. - KRISTINE. P.S. WHEN WADE LOOKED AT ZOE AFTER THAT LAST EPISODE WHEN SHE AGREED TO HAVE A DRINK WITH JUDSON MY HEART NEARLY BROKE INTO THREE TRILLION PIECES. ANYONE ELSE FEEL THAT WAY?**


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SURPRISED I UPDATED SO QUICKLY? YA'LLS RESPONSE JUST AMAZED ME! HOW COULD I KEEP YA'LL WAITING ANY LONGER? HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS! - KRISTINE. P.S. I'M GLAD YA'LL ARE LIKING LESLIE!**

**RATING: PG**

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO. **

**CHAPTER SIX: BEER PONG ON GAMEDAY**

- W - & - Z -

"Damn you look good," Wade murmured appreciatively the moment he laid eyes on Zoe. She had pulled her hair back in a messy ponytail and had paired the dress Leslie had given her with a chunky orange bracelet. If he hadn't known better he would have guessed that she was a KD from Auburn and not a doctor with an insatiable passion to be a surgeon. He already could hear his brothers asking how he managed to score a girl as classy and beautiful as Zoe.

Zoe smiled and tried her best to keep from blushing. Wade had this intense way of complimenting her that always made her feel like she was still an awkward 16-year-old who was desperately trying to compete with beautiful socialite friends. "It was all Leslie," she admitted. In less than a weeks time Leslie had quickly become her best girl friend since moving to Bluebell.

"I can already hear the way she's going to gloat when she lays eyes on you," Wade said as he pulled on his well-worn baseball cap. His grandfather had given it to him the day he decided to forgo playing college athletics in favor of getting a good education as a normal college student at Auburn. If his house had been on fire, it would have been one of the very first things he grabbed. "You know she threatened me the other day because of you. I swear you'd think you two had been friends longer than her and I have."

Zoe giggled softly taking a moment to simply appreciate just how handsome Wade even though he never seemed to put much effort into his appearance. He was wearing a pair of dark blue slacks and a white button down. She'd never been a fan of baseball caps but the one he was wearing seemed to perfectly compliment his outfit. If she weren't so damn pleased that he was her man, she would have been jealous about how easy it was for him to look good. She'd woken up at nearly the crack of dawn to start getting ready for today.

Leslie had told her that she was going to meet all of Wade's college buddies. According to her it was important that Zoe make a good impression. If they didn't like Zoe not only would they let Wade know, but they'd also encourage him to move on to someone new. Even though Leslie swore up and down that she couldn't see that happening Zoe couldn't help but still be a little nervous.

"You sure I look okay?" She asked glancing down at her outfit one more time. She was terrified that she looked like she was trying too hard. When Leslie had told her this outfit would be for the game not some sort of mixer afterwards she'd been shocked. Apparently football was a reason to dress up in the Deep South. When she'd gone to Giants games with her father growing up she'd always worn a jersey and a pair of jeans. It had never occurred to her that a football game would be an appropriate place to show off a cute new outfit.

"Zoe Hart you're so fine it is taking more self-control than you can possibly imagine for me to keep from ravaging you," Wade whispered before leaning down and giving her a gentle kiss. "Lemon is going to go nuts when she lays eyes on you."

"Lemon's going to be there?" Zoe asked, the shock evident on her face and in the tone of her voice. "I thought you and Leslie said that she was an Alabama fan."

"She is, but this is Founder's weekend for mine and George's fraternity. It'd be in bad taste for her not to show up." Wade explained. He'd intentionally kept this little detail to himself knowing that it might make Zoe think twice about joining him. He couldn't blame her after all. "It'll be fine though because the girls can't stand Lemon."

"Are you sure?" She could already hear the snide remarks Lemon would make in that nauseatingly sweet voice of hers. "I would prefer our second date not consist mostly of people awkwardly watching as Lemon suggested that I was fashionably challenged in addition to anything she can come up with to point out."

"You're forgetting that Leslie is going to be there. Believe me Leslie and Lemon would get into an all-out catfight before she'd let Lemon cut you down." Wade reminded her. "Now let's go so I can show you off to all my frat brothers."

She hesitated for one more minute before smiling and taking his outstretched his hand. Silently she hoped that he was right about Leslie. She was really not looking forward to walking into a Southern ambush. Plus while Lemon was able to mask her crude remarks in a pleasant tone Zoe was bound to tell her to shove a pastel cardigan somewhere the sun didn't shine.

"You know Zoe after today I think you just might consider not heading back up to New York to be a fancy cardiothoracic surgeon after all," Wade mused as he cranked up the car. When he glanced at her it was obvious that she had a hard time believing that would eve happen. Still he couldn't help but think otherwise when she gently placed her hand on top of his.

- W - & - Z -

"Zoe! Wade! You're here!" Leslie exclaimed when she laid eyes on the two of them walking towards the white tent that they tailgated under. She stumbled up from her chair to greet them at the entrance, throwing her arms around both of them to wrap them up in a sloppy, but tight hug.

"Nice to see you too Leslie," Wade replied before jokingly asking, "When did you start drinking?"

"Early enough that the brightness of Lemon's cardigan is starting to give me a headache," she admitted in what was supposed to be a whisper but wasn't. Luckily for her neither Lemon nor George were within sight. "Zoe you look so damn good. You just look perfect." She said as she admired her new friend.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Zoe reminded her. She silently mused that it must be normal to start drinking early on game day because nobody seemed the least bit fazed by the way Leslie was practically swaying side to side. "You look amazing too."

"I do?" Leslie asked, her voice bordering on weepy. She'd at this point had enough to drink that it didn't take much to make her emotional. Hell she was pretty sure that someone could show her a picture of a puppy and she'd almost start to tear up.

Zoe nodded.

"Well aren't you just the sweetest," Leslie said grinning. "Let's get you something to drink and introduce you to everybody." She grabbed her arm and dragged her in the direction of all the other women and the cooler. "What do you want to drink? All we've got is whiskey and beer."

"I think I'll go with a beer." She couldn't imagine drinking hard liquor this early in the day. Well not without ending up being Leslie's doppelganger.

"Good choice. I went whiskey and now I'm regretting it." Leslie motioned to a guy in a navy blue polo. "Baby please hand Zoe a beer."

"You got a preference Zoe?" The guy asked as he opened the cooler.

"Miller or Budweiser is fine," she answered wondering silently when it was the last time she'd had a beer. Normally she stuck with wine. If she was feeling particularly crazy she might venture out to include liquor drinks in her diet. Still beer was the kind of that she'd never developed a real appreciation for her. Her ex-boyfriend had always said she was snob for that.

He nodded and dug into the cooler before pulling out a Miller Lite. He put it in a koozie and twisted the cap off beginning bringing it to her. "I'm Nick. You must be the doctor that Wade's dating. Leslie hasn't been able to stop talking about you."

"He's my boyfriend," Leslie added before taking another swig of whatever concoction she had in her red solo cup.

"Oh so you're the reason Leslie came up here Wednesday," Zoe replied. Up close she noticed that he was impossibly cute. He had curly brown hair and a lopsided grin. She could see exactly how he caught Leslie's eye.

He nodded and grinned. "I'm a pharmaceutical sales rep. I've been in Texas for the last month."

"Still pushing Viagra?" Wade asked, suddenly joining them, holding a Heineken.

"And Zoloft," Nick admitted. "It isn't glamorous but it pays the bills. I've got to save up if I'm going to buy a ring big enough to convince Leslie to actually marry me."

"I don't need a big ring," Leslie corrected. "It just needs to be shiny enough that Lemon can't miss it no matter how hard she tries."

"Oh is that all?" He teased before leaning down and giving her a sloppy kiss that made her giggle. Nick sat down in the chair beside her, holding Leslie's hand with his right one and motioning for Zoe to sit with his left. "Anyway Zoe tell me how'd Wade bag a good-looking doctor like yourself?"

"I resent that question," Wade said before Zoe could formulate a reply. "You act like I'm a slouch or something. We both know I'm the most eligible single man in Bluebell."

Leslie snorted loudly. "That isn't saying anything."

"Let the girl answer the question Wade," Nick said before turning his attention back to Zoe.

"I guess you could say he wore me down." Zoe answered, not sure how exactly to explain how it was she came to start dating Wade Kinsella.

"You know your answer doesn't help my case any darlin'," Wade pointed out with a pained sigh. "And we both know I didn't have to work that hard to wear you down."

She smiled. It was true. He really didn't. In fact between how good looking he looked during the heat wave and the way his kisses left her weak in the knees it honestly took almost no work to convince her that Wade deserved a chance. Well that and the way he laid it all out there when he asked her on their first date.

"Well Dr. Hart I didn't expect to see you here!" Lemon said in her fake sugary sweet voice. She was indeed wearing an impossibly bright yellow cardigan and mismatched George in his orange button down completely.

"Lemon," Zoe said, trying her best to sound polite. "George," she added a moment later.

"I didn't know you were an Auburn fan," Lemon replied. She was smiling so tightly it looked like she might crack at any moment.

"She's not," Leslie interjected. "She's here with Wade."

"Oh." Lemon was obviously at a loss for words.

"She did at least make a point to wear the right colors though," Leslie added a moment later. She only smirked a little when she what little color Lemon had drain from her face.

"Be nice," Nick whispered softly even though he was glad that Leslie had seemed to shut Lemon up. When that girl got going on her frivolous projects it made him contemplate overdosing on his samples.

"Who's up for a game of beer pong?" George asked obviously trying hard to ease the tension.

"What do you say Hart? You want to play?" Wade suggested.

"Um okay," Zoe agreed as she let him help her up from her chair. "But I should tell you that I've never actually played before. I had this roommate when I was a junior who was good but I never made time for it." She admitted as she followed him to where George and Lemon were already arranging cups. She never imagined that Lemon would play such an obviously undignified game.

"Let me guess you were studying," Wade teased.

Zoe didn't bother to reply.

Wade smiled. "Well it helps that I just happen to be pretty damn good."

- W - & - Z -

"I thought you said you'd never played before," Wade said in awe as he watched another one of her shots sink in the cup. He smirked when he saw Lemon begin to drain the cup in disdain.

"I haven't, but I was really good at Physics which is all this really is."

"And somehow you become an even big nerd while still kicking ass in a sport. That's an accomplishment." Wade joked, pecking her cheek in a way that was somehow both innocent and romantic.

She grinned thinking just how weird it was that here was this man who was proud of her for being good at something that would not further her career in any way. It was funny how willing she was to let her hair down when it was with the right person. Of all the men she'd met before none of them had made her feel this free to be herself.

She looked across the table and wasn't surprised to see that George was attempting to talk Lemon down. Lemon was practically snarling while never removing her eyes from Zoe's. Instead of feeling like she was going to be attacked Zoe took a play from Leslie's playbook and actually smiled back. "It's your shot Lemon," she said in a tone that was akin to saying something like "come at me bro".

- W - & - Z -

Her voice was shot. Her ears were ringing. Her entire face was flushed and tinged pink from the cold. And yet she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this alive.

Auburn had won. Wade had kissed her senseless at least ten times. Lemon had managed to actually be civil or at least ignore Zoe's existence. Leslie and Nick had assured her that everyone thought Zoe was the perfect girl for Wade.

"Have I mentioned how much fun I had tonight?" Zoe murmured into his shoulder.

"I think you maybe had too much whiskey," Wade whispered as he helped her into their hotel room. Brock had actually been the one to reserve it for him. He'd done it the moment that he realized Founder's Day was going to the same weekend as a football game. Despite being irresponsible when it came to most of his life choices he was actually pretty good at scheduling. At the time Wade had actually been dating another girl named Tia or was it Tammy. It didn't really matter. What did matter was that because of a clutch decision by Brock he was about to at least literally spend the night with Zoe Hart even if that didn't mean that he was going to actually get to spend the night with her the way any red-blooded male would want to.

"I think you might be right." She admitted as she laid down on the plush king sized bed. "Leslie kept insisting we take a drink whenever something went Auburn's way."

He chuckled. He'd learned long ago that Leslie's plans had a tendency to leading to her needing to basically be carried out of places. Luckily tonight she'd been able to at least make it out of the stadium before Nick had to scoop her up and carry her to his car.

"Are we going to sleep together tonight?"

His eyebrows rose in surprise at both her bluntness and question. He knew full well that if she remembered her bluntness tomorrow morning she'd be embarrassed. "Well I was thinking that we would unless you want me to crash on the couch."

"Not that kind of sleep together."

"Oh." He paused and watched as her chest slowly rose and fell. He frowned because even though he wanted nothing more than to sleep with her he knew it wouldn't be right. He sighed softly, "I was thinking tonight maybe we'd just share the bed."

"Are you sure?" She asked, her voice soft and sleepy. She struggled for moment to kick both of her shoes off.

"I think so." He said as he slipped out of his pants and shirt. "You want me to help you out of your dress?"

"If only you knew," she admitted as she got up from the bed.

Within two minutes she was back wearing an oversized Mets t-shirt.

"You know Wade, George might have caught my eye first, but you really are the better man." Zoe told him. "In fact you're the best guy I've ever met."

He smiled and whispered in her ear. "You just happened to be the best girl I've ever met too."

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS WAS LONG! WHOO! HAHA. SO I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR WHAT YA'LL HAVE TO SAY AFTER THIS CHAPTER. THAT MOMENT BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM TONIGHT TOTALLY PULLED AT MY HEARTSTRINGS! I HAVE A GREAT IDEA FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. I MEAN A BIG AND GREAT IDEA. I THINK THAT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO CHURN OUT ANOTHER CHAPTER BEFORE THURSDAY IF YA'LL CAN CONVINCE ME THAT IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY ETHICS FINAL. I HAVE FAITH THAT YA'LL CAN BE PRETTY PERSUASIVE. I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE ANOTHER CHARACTER NEXT CHAPTER THAT IS GOING TO HAVE A LOT TO DO WITH WADE! ANYONE WANT TO GUESS WHO THAT'LL BE? THANKS FOR READING! I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE REVIEWS! - KRISTINE.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: YA'LL CONVINCED ME! - KRISTINE. **

**RATING: PG**

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO.**

**CHAPTER SEVEN: KELLY MCNAMARA**

- W - & - Z -

On the eve of Thanksgiving, Zoe Hart was grateful for many things. She was grateful for her budding friendship with Leslie, which had resulted in her dressing even more fashionable as well as Lemon being less snide. She was grateful for Lavon's willingness to let her stay in the cottage even if occasionally she felt like it too closely resembled an early 1900s log cabin. She was especially grateful for Wade who never ceased to amaze her with this smooth charm and weak in the knee kisses. You might be wondering what it is she wasn't grateful for and that was the creation of Skype.

Skype allowed her mother to not only call her, but also see her while she went about torturing and grilling her. It made lying almost impossible for Zoe, who had never been good at doing it directly to someone's face. So now she was forced to simply wait for her mother's pestering about what she was going to do if she wasn't coming home for Thanksgiving while also trying to convince her to come home for at least a few days.

"Sweetheart I miss you and your father is in Los Angeles or maybe Phoenix doing some sort of state of the art surgery. Do you want your poor mother to spend Thanksgiving all by herself with just a bottle of Merlot to keep me company?"

Zoe groaned softly. She wished her mother wasn't so good at making her feel awful. This wasn't the first time she'd employed such heart hurting tactics. Anytime Candice Hart wanted her daughter to make an appearance with her at some sort of celebrity event she'd always bring up the fact that she just knew her career was not nearly as exciting to Zoe as her father's but she wished that she could at least still get a little emotional support. "Mom I couldn't come home even if I wanted to. We both know I'd spend the whole time stuck in airport waiting for someone to hopefully not show up."

"So you're saying that you don't want to spend Thanksgiving here with me in New York? In your childhood home no less?"

It took a lot of self-control to keep her from scoffing. Her childhood home was a 15th floor penthouse. Even worse it stopped feeling like home when her favorite doorman who'd been working there for as long as she could remember retired and was replaced by a d-bag who took the building rules too seriously. Instead of admitting all of this to her mother she did the good daughter routine and instead said, "I didn't say that."

"No but you implied it when you said even if you did."

"It's a figure of speech."

"I think it's your way of saying that you don't miss us nearly as much as we miss you."

"Mom come on we both know that isn't how I meant it." She tried, growing even more tired of the conversation with each passing moment.  
>"Mom I've got an appointment. I need to let you go." She lied.<p>

"You have an appointment? You're getting more patients?" Her mother asked visibly brightening. If she hadn't been so damn annoying with her badgering Zoe probably would have been able to appreciate just how proud she seemed to think that her daughter was actually surviving in Bluebell.

"I do and I am but I'll talk to you later Mom." Zoe replied as she scrolled to end the conversation.

"I love you Zoe."

"I love you too Mom."

"Do you really?"

Before that question could lead to another annoying discussion about why it was she insisted to not bother trying to come home for Thanksgiving Zoe ended the conversation. Later she'd tell her Mom that she had gotten too click-happy.

She sighed and leaned back in the chair. If only she really did have a patient. Then she'd have something to distract her from the fact that she was going to need at least five more patients in the next week if she was going to keep Brick from forcing her out. She started to nod off when her office door opened and Addie said, "Dr. Hart you've got a patient."

"Send them on in," Zoe instructed thinking it was probably Leslie or Wade just stopping by to see her or take her to lunch. Her eyes widened in surprise when in walked a person that was neither Leslie nor Wade. She had an actual patient, an actual patient who didn't seem to personally know her and wanted to just throw her a bone. "Hi, I'm Dr. Hart and you are?" She asked standing to shake the petite woman's hand.

The blonde smiled kindly, "It's nice to meet you Dr. Hart. I'm Kelly McNamara."

"Why don't we go to the exam room and we can talk about your reason for coming in today," she suggested not being able to shake the feeling that she recognized her from somewhere. She took a moment to glance over the paperwork that Addie had them fill out while Kelly got herself seated on the exam room table. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw that Kelly's listed age was 44 years old. She wouldn't have guessed she was a day over 35. "So Ms. McNamara what brings you in today? It's not everyday I snag a client from Brick."

"Well unlike most of the people in this damn town I recognize Brick for the blowhard that he is." Kelly explained, her bright smile never wavering for a second. "And you should know that I actually have an ulterior motive for coming to see you."

"And what's that?" Zoe asked her voice wavering just a little.

"I wanted to meet the girl who has managed to put a smile back on my son's face. I'm Wade's mama." She explained.

Suddenly everything clicked for Zoe. Now she could place the shade of blonde as being the exact same as Wade's. Her perfect teeth and brilliant smile looked almost the exact same as Wade's cocky grin.

"I didn't mean to blindside you Dr. Hart."

"Please call me Zoe," she managed still a little dazed. She'd never been the kind of girl who liked meeting parents. It made her somehow even more awkward than she already admittedly was. Even though she was every parent's dream for their son she always came across as being too driven, too intense, too everything. If parents in New York didn't admire that quality she was damn sure that Wade's mom wouldn't be a fan.

"Well Zoe I didn't mean to come in here and shake up your life. I actually just thought I'd set you up as my primary care physician and invite you to our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night."

"Shouldn't Wade be the one to invite me to intrude on his family?"

"We both know my son. It's a miracle that I can even manage to get him out to my house for Thanksgiving. Also it isn't intruding if you're invited Zoe."

She hesitated not sure what to say. The last thing she wanted was to tell Wade that she was coming with her tomorrow and for him to be angry.

"I'll warn you now that I'm a bit stubborn Zoe so you're going to say that you'd be delighted to join us and I'm going to say well that is just great. How does that sound?" It sounded like a question but the look on Kelly's face said you better say yes.

"Okay well I would love to come tomorrow."

"Great!" Kelly exclaimed with so much enthusiasm you would have thought that she hadn't just orchestrated the invitation acceptance. "I cannot wait!"

To her credit Zoe smiled and nodded as though her arm hadn't just been twisted.

"Well then I'll see you tomorrow afternoon then. Feel free to tell the secretary that I'm one of your regulars now or however that works." Kelly said as she hopped off of the table. She paused for a moment to fix her dress.

"What if you learn more about me tomorrow and think I'm dreadful? Would you really want someone you didn't like to be your PCP?"

"If you have Leslie's seal of approval then you'll certainly have mine. Like I said we'll see you tomorrow and if you wouldn't mind would you that charming dress you wore to the Auburn game last weekend. I've just been dying to see it in person." Kelly replied and then without waiting for a response she was gone just as suddenly as she came leaving Zoe wondering what the hell just happened.

- W - & - Z -

"Did you tell Wade's Mom about me?" Zoe asked the moment that she walked into Leslie's store.

"Well hello to you too," Leslie greeted as she came out from around the cash register. "And you two might have come up during lunch yesterday afternoon."

"How could you not tell me that? Or him?"

"I don't know. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Why what happened?"

Leslie hadn't actually said Wade's dating someone. Instead she had just been showing them pictures from Founder's Day weekend. In the process of that a picture of Zoe and Wade popped up. It wasn't like she could lie and say that Zoe was just some girl that Wade had met up there. She also couldn't act like she hadn't noticed her in the picture. So she told the truth and then they started talking about the Iron Bowl and somehow she forgot that the topic had ever even come up. That is until right now.

"Oh nothing except for the fact that she just showed up to my office, told me I was coming to Thanksgiving dinner with Wade tomorrow, added me as her primary care physician, and left."

Leslie could tell that Zoe was freaked out but she couldn't help but laugh. "Sounds like Kelly."

"Yeah well now I have to tell Wade that I'm going with him to Thanksgiving tomorrow even though he never mentioned to me that he had plans for tomorrow."

"Relax Zo, Wade wanted to ask you but was scared that it would scare you off."

"And you know this how?" She asked not totally convinced that Leslie wasn't just trying to placate her.

"Because he asked Nick what he thought about it," she explained. "And Nick told me because he tells me everything."

"So when I tell him about his mother showing up he's not going to fly off the handle?"

"One Zoe get real Wade is so enamored with you I doubt you could ever cause him to fly off the handle. And two no he'll be happy that you took the pressure off of him."

She stared at her for second before finally letting out a sigh of relief. "Good because I really like him Leslie."

"Duh you don't think I know that?"

"No I know you do it's just," she paused searching for the right word.

"For the first time you feel like you're with a guy who likes you warts and all?" She finished for her.

"Exactly," Zoe said, biting her lip and shrugging. "All of the guys I used to date used to act like my intense passion for being a surgeon was a phase. Wade teases me about it but I never get this feeling that one day it'll need to take a backseat to being his wife or anything."

"Wade's a special guy." Leslie reminded her. "And tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun. There's always a lot of drinking and loud stories."

"You're going to be there?"

Leslie nodded, "Of course. My family has been doing Thanksgiving with Wade's since we were babies."

"Well then I know I'll have at least two allies tomorrow," Zoe murmured.

"Don't count on that. If Kelly hates you Wade will jump off that ship real quick."

"What?" She asked in alarm.

The redhead cackled and shook her head. "I'm just screwing with you Zoe. It'll be fine. If I like you then our Mamas will love you too. It helps that Lemon doesn't like you."

"Is that like required to get into the cool kids club?" Zoe asked, only half-kidding.

"If only you knew. Why do you think my Aunt and Uncle are so mad about George marrying her? My mama doesn't even want to go to the wedding." She wasn't even kidding. Seriously her mother complained about the upcoming nuptials all of the time. Nobody could believe that their beloved George would be dumb enough to marry a Breeland. While she knew for fact that there were moments when Lemon was actually tolerable she couldn't blame them. "And hey on the bright side you got another patient! If you think about it me telling them about you and Wade has honestly done nothing but better your life."

- W - & - Z -

"Is it my imagination or is the prettiest girl in this whole town waiting on me?" He asked taking a moment to give her a kiss before sitting down beside her on his steps.

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, "Such a charmer."

"Only for you darlin'," he whispered. Gently he grabbed her hand and started to trace circles on her palm with his thumb. For a second he simply marveled at just how small yet perfect her hand looked in his. "Long day?"

"Something like that," she murmured. "I got a new patient today."

"Well look at that. Dr. Hart you might actually get to keep the practice after all." He teased. "Who was it?"

"Your Mom."

He tensed for a second. "My Mom?" 

"Well she said her name was Kelly McNamara and that she was your Mom so yep."

"My Mama came to see you at work today?"

"And made me her Primary Care Physician," she added.

"Well damn…" he whispered.

"My thoughts exactly," she admitted laughing softly as she played with a frayed section of his worn jeans. "She invited me to Thanksgiving tomorrow. I tried to explain that I shouldn't intrude but she demanded that I come. I hope that you don't mind."

"Zoe that woman raised me. I know how she operates. I'm definitely mad. In fact I'm glad she asked you to come. I wanted to. I really did. I just wasn't sure if it would freak you out. I mean I haven't even technically called you my girlfriend out loud yet and here I am asking you to come to a meal where my whole family is going to be." He knew he was rambling but this had been something he'd been considering since his mother called to remind him what they would be eating.

"Really because I could lie and make up some excuse about having to cover at the office tomorrow."

"Zoe Hart you're going to be my date for Thanksgiving tomorrow whether you like it or not so you better just get on board with the idea." He told her before softly kissing her temple. "Now I'm starving. Want me to fix you something to eat?"

"You'd cook for me?" She asked, surprised even though she wasn't sure why.

"Of course I'd cook for you. Now come on. We'll go inside and I'll fix you dinner and try to not only explain my family to you, but also keep from scaring you into not coming tomorrow."

- W - & - Z -

"Now your Mom said she was a McNamara but I thought her maiden name was Kinsella," Zoe asked as she sat at his small kitchen table watching as he cooked. Later when she told Leslie all about tonight she'd admit that this was the first time in her entire life that a boyfriend had cooked for her.

"It is. She married my stepdad Clark when I was 8. He's a lawyer." He explained relishing for a just a minute that to Zoe his past was a mystery. "Everybody just calls Clark, Mac though."

Growing up Wade had been the source of a lot of gossip. His mother had been that girl. As in the girl who was dumb enough to get in bed with Earl Duncan but then refused to marry him when she found she was pregnant. Instead she was stubborn. She went to work with his granddaddy and raised Wade all on her own. When Mac showed up in town to take depositions of some guys that got hurt on one of the rigs she'd actually forced him to chase her for nearly a month before she went on a date with him. Even though Earl was technically his father and he made a point to keep an eye on the old man, Mac and his granddaddy Jimmy had always been the two men he'd really looked up to.

"I can imagine that didn't make things easy for her," she said before she'd even thought her words her through. She hadn't actually meant to voice them. They'd been one of those thoughts you just sort of had that somehow escaped your mouth. "Sorry I didn't mean for that to sound the way it did."

"It's fine Zoe. You're right. It didn't. That's part of the reason my family doesn't get along with the Breelands. Lemon's kin snubbed mine like they were so much better. Of course when Lemon's mama took off mine had the decency not to comment or gossip."

"Lemon's mom left her?" She'd always just assumed that her Mom had died or something equally tragic.

"Yep when Lemon was in high school. She used that and her little sister as a reason that she just simply couldn't follow George up to New York." He stopped what he was doing and turned around to face her. "My mama and I are the reason that George's family is so upset with him marrying Lemon. You see they thought it was the ultimate betrayal for him to marry into a family that had treated his like it was less than."

"I honestly think growing up here must have been like a soap opera or something." She mused as she took a sip of wine, which she knew without a doubt that he'd bought just for her. "I don't know how you did it."

"Believe me it was more dramatic than a soap. Everybody knows too much about everybody else in this damn town. That's why I never wanted to come back."

"Is that why you stay here on Lavon's property? So you don't have to set down permanent roots."

The question had been plaguing her since he admitted to having a lot of fame and money. She couldn't stop thinking that if he had all of these resources that it would only make sense for him to live somewhere where he didn't have to worry about blowing a fuse.

"I don't know," he admitted softly. "I guess so. I just know that when I came back into town my mama and Mac were telling me I could come stay with them but I couldn't do it. I ran into Lavon and he suggested I stay in the cottage. Now it's been months and I'm still here. If I was a romantic I'd say it was cause I've been waiting for you."

"But you're not a romantic?"

He smirked silently wondering how it was she got him to talk about these kinds of these. He'd always been the kind of guy who was only willing to talk about stuff that didn't matter. Hell some of those girls he wasn't even really willing to talk about anything with them. Then again it helped that none of them expected much from him. Those girls showed up only wanting to add Wade to the notches on their bedpost. They all were significantly more wowed by his fame than Zoe seemed to be. "Only a little."

"You know you never did ask how it was your Mama found out about us?"

"Because it was obviously Leslie."

"Did you know she was going to tell them?"

"No, but I know Leslie. She was probably showing them pictures from the game and they noticed that I had my arms wrapped around you like I was scared somebody would try to steal you from me." He explained because he knew what happened when Leslie got together with their mamas. It always ended up being a gab session where almost nothing was off-limits.

She nodded. She stared into his glass for a minute trying to figure out the best way to pose her question to him. She just felt silly for even thinking it.

"Spill," he urged as he turned off the stove and plated the pasta he'd made for the two of them. He knew her well enough to tell when she had a question on the tip of her tongue. Well it was more like he'd stared at her long enough to figure it out.

She smiled faintly. She hated that he was so good at reading her. "Do you think your Mom will really like me?"

"Zoe Hart, are you insane? You are the first girl I've dated that my mother will actually like. I'm sure Leslie has expressed this to you in your many conversations but I have had what some people refer to as questionable taste in women. Believe me if my mama hadn't liked you she would have let you know." He assured her, placing the plates on the table before sitting down across from her. He squeezed her hand lightly. "I wish you could see just how amazing you really are."

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO WHO IS INTERESTED TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR THANKSGIVING? I WISH I COULD HAVE GOTTEN THIS DONE YESTERDAY SO THAT YA'LL COULD ACTUALLY HEAR ABOUT THEIR THANKSGIVING ON THANKSGIVING. BECAUSE THAT PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN I COULD PROBABLY BE CONVINCED TO HAVE IT DONE IN TIME FOR THE IRON BOWL WHICH IS SATURDAY. SO YA'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO. YA'LL ARE SIMPLY TOO AMAZING! HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING! GOBBLE TIL YOU WOBBLE! DON'T FORGET TO LET ME KNOW WHAT YA'LL THINK. ANY INFORMATION YA'LL WANT TO LEARN ABOUT COULD POTENTIALLY BE INCLUDED NEXT CHAPTER. JUST LET ME KNOW. THANKS! - KRISTINE. **


	8. Chapter 8

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS SOMEHOW EVEN LONGER THAN THE LAST ONE. I HOPE YA'LL LIKE IT. - KRISTINE. **

**RATING: PG (MAYBE COULD BE UPPED BECAUSE OF THE ENDING)**

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO. **

**CHAPTER EIGHT: NEW ORLEANS**

- W - & - Z -

"Are you sure I didn't need to bring anything?" Zoe asked as she nervously played with them of her dress.

Wade smirked, shaking his head in amusement. "You did bring something," he reminded her as he reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"Wine does not count as bring something," she replied, adding in exasperation, "I mean a covered dish or something. Isn't that customary?" She asked, wishing she were better versed on the proper etiquette of eating at someone else's house in the Deep South.

"Zoe, darlin', I hate to remind you but you can't cook. Plus there is going to be more than enough food between my mama, Leslie, and Leslie's mama. The wine you brought will be more than enough."

She sighed, hoping that he was right. Even though everyone was convinced that Wade's mother liked her fine and would in fact love her once they got to know her, Zoe couldn't help but wonder if they were overestimating the power of their opinions. Most women didn't want to hear that their son was dating a girl who wasn't entirely sure if she even if wanted to have kids. Nor did they want to know the girl was more interested in state of the art surgery than providing a nice home for their husband to come back to after a long day at work. Even Zoe's mother, a successful career woman, who on more than one occasion put her job before her family, criticized Zoe's passion for the job. If her own mother thought was too intense then what would Kelly McNamara think?

"Stop stressing," he told her gently. He could see that she was tense by the way she was biting her lip. He couldn't help but think that if she bit it any harder she might draw blood. "The only person you need to be for my mama to like you is you. I promise Zoe. If I thought that this was going to go bad I would have made an excuse for you not to come."

She glanced at him and was relieved to see just how serious he looked. It hadn't taken long for her to realize that a serious Wade was one that you didn't doubt.

"This'll be a bit bumpy," he warned her as he pulled onto a dirt road. When he was younger it was impossible to get down the road anytime it rained. It would basically be completely flooded. On more than one occasion he could remember having to pull his car off to the side of the road and simply hoofing it up to the house.

She glanced out the window and was amazed at just how beautiful and alive everything looked. At home at this time of the year the trees were bare and it was cold enough that you couldn't walk a half a block without your cheeks turning pink from the wind. Today she was wearing not only the dress she'd worn to the Auburn game the weekend before, but also one of her lightest sweaters. Even then the sweater had more to do with fashion than a need to stay warm. Just when she was about to ask just how long this road was a beautiful antebellum home came into view. Her jaw dropped slightly in surprise. "It looks like something from Gone With the Wind," she murmured softly.

"All of the homes that are this far back off the main road are like this," he explained. He was used to this reaction to his childhood home. When he first started shooting Southern Gentlemen, members of the crew would always end up coming home with him for some reason or another. They all basically said the same thing. It had always taken a lot for him to resist from asking if they'd been expecting a trailer or something. "And before you ask it was not at one point a working plantation."

"I wouldn't ask that," Zoe told him defensively. That was true. She wouldn't have asked then. Then again it wouldn't have occurred to her to ask that. History had never been her thing. In fact she'd embarrassingly and begrudgingly admit that she could barely explain even the bare minimum facts about the Civil War.

He chuckled, not at all surprised by her tone. "I just figured I would let you know. My executive producer used to assert that I was lying about that just about every time he came to visit." He let out a quiet sigh as he parked his car in the drive between his mother's spotless Jaguar and Mac's muddy truck. "And I never imagined you'd be a fan of Gone With the Wind."

"It was my grandmother's favorite movie," she explained leaving out the part about where she actually didn't like the movie very much. Growing up her grandmother had made her watch nearly every time she visited. Zoe had always hated that it didn't have a happy ending. She always used to think it was just wrong that Rhett and Scarlett couldn't make it work. The one time she worked up the nerve to tell her grandmother as much, her grandmother had told her solemnly that what Rhett did was force Scarlett to stand on her own two damn feet which was Scarlett needed even more than a man. At the time Zoe hadn't understood that, but when she rewatched it in college, she understood just what her grandmother meant. Sometimes you need to fix yourself before a man can even come close to helping you.

He stared at her appreciatively for a moment before getting out of the car and walking around to her open her's. "You've gotten better at waiting for me for to do this for you," he joked. "It's some kind of miracle."

She rolled her eyes and feigned a laugh.

He chuckled softly and wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her close enough to place a sloppy and noisy kiss on her cheek.

"Ya'll are so cute you make me want to gag!" Leslie teased from her spot on the front porch. In her right hand she had a beer and in her left she had her cell phone. "It's about time ya'll got here."

"It's only 1:30 and we didn't have to be here for another hour," Wade reminded her as he bent down to kiss her cheek.

"I know, but damn I've been here since 8:00. I wish ya'll could have at least gotten here by noon." Leslie said as she stood up to give Zoe a quick hug. "You probably could have at least kept this from being my fourth beer already."

"You're on your fourth?" He asked even though he wasn't actually surprised. Leslie had always had a reputation for being a girl who could hold her booze and never hesitated to have one.

Leslie shot him a look that asked if he really wanted to start with her. "You spend all morning in the kitchen with our mamas and then you question how I've already had one-third of a 12-pack. I mean if those damn women ask me when I'm going to settle down with Nick one more time I swear," she replied under her breath.

Zoe glanced at Wade obviously unsure what to say or do. Normally Leslie was all smiles and laughs. She definitely hadn't seen her looking nearly this tired before. Before anyone could say anything the front door to the house opened and Zoe came face-to-face not only with Kelly McNamara, but also a gorgeous brunette with chestnut colored hair, that she knew had to be Leslie's mama. Suddenly she was nervous for a whole different reason.

"I thought I heard ya'll out here," Kelly replied before sweeping Zoe up into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you could join us today Zoe."

The moment that Kelly let go, Leslie's mama took over without even giving Zoe a second to anticipate the hug. "I'm Jane, Leslie's mama, and Wade's godmother. It is so good to meet you."

"Don't squeeze her to death mama," Leslie told her, only half-kidding. Her mama could give hugs that would put a damn anaconda to shame.

Jane pulled back and flashed Zoe an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. I just was so damn pleased to hear that you could come today. And you are somehow even prettier in person. Wade how'd you bag yourself such a pretty doctor?"

"You know I would at least expect my family to act like I was in the same league as Zoe here." Wade commented shooting both his mother and godmother a look that said ya'll should be ashamed of yourselves.

"Boy we both know that look don't work us anymore," his mama said, giving him a quick squeeze. "Now why don't we take this party on into the house so that we can chill the wine Zoe brought us and let Nick and Mac join in on the teasing."

Zoe glanced at Wade and saw that despite his best efforts he couldn't help but smile at his mother's joke. Silently she mused that this must have been what it was like to grow up in a close family. She couldn't remember the last time her family shared a moment even half as sentimental as this one. Then again it was rare that her mother and father were under the roof at the same time to do something more than sleep. Now though it made sense why exactly her father stopped making time to be the dad that she always needed him to be.

"You alright Zoe?" Wade asked, noticing that she seemed a little out of it. He was terrified that she was going to find herself completely overwhelmed by having to spend the afternoon with his family. He'd never in his life had brought a girl home for something like this. Even though he kept placating her worries he did wonder if there was something to her concern. After all were they rushing into things with her meeting his family this early on?

"Yeah I'm good. I just got a little distracted." She said, trying her best to assure him that she was fine. The last thing she wanted to do was admit that she started to think about her family drama. Nope she knew that all would do was result in more unnecessary focus being placed on her. When he didn't seem to buy her assertion she smiled, "I promise I'm fine Wade."

- W - & - Z -

"So tell me Zoe, how exactly have you survived working with Brick?" Jane asked as she took a not so delicate sip of the wine Zoe had brought. "I can't imagine it's easy."

Zoe chuckled at the thought. Med school had been easier than working with Brick. "He's definitely got a lock on Bluebell. It's making it hard to keep Harley's part of the practice going."

"Well it's a good thing we've all been needing a new doctor. When Harley passed we all discussed switching to one out of Mobile, but it looks like we won't have to now." Jane said before adding, "This is damn good wine."

Zoe stared at them in shock not believing what she was hearing. Everyday since moving here she had hoped for a miraculous in flow of patients that never seemed to come no matter how hard she tried to acclimate. Now all it took was dating Wade and suddenly she had five new patients. She couldn't even kind of believe her luck. "You guys are seriously the kindest people I've ever met. When I first moved her I thought that thing about people down south being kind was a false rumor, but you guys are proof that it isn't."

"Oh believe me we aren't sweet," Kelly said in a voice that was convincing but when combined with her sweet smile seemed hard to believe. "We just like you. Leslie said you keep Wade in check which I think we can all agree the boy needs."

Wade scoffed. "You know I think I'm old enough that I can hardly be considered a boy. Plus I think I do alright for myself." He did his best to ignore the fact that his tone suggested that they might actually be onto something.

"Wade, sweetheart, you and Leslie will always be babies to us. You know that." Jane reminded him. "Especially considering ya'll are both a bit of a mess."

"Hey I own my own store," Leslie chimed in defensively. "And I've been in a stable relationship for long enough that you two think it's right to ride me about settling down."

"Which they're right to because it isn't like I haven't brought it up to you more times than either one of us can count," Nick pointed out. Normally he would have just sat there and nursed his beer silently, but this was a subject he felt passionate about.

Zoe watched in amusement as they fought about whether or not Leslie and Wade actually acted like grown-ups. Again she found herself wondering if this was what it was like to be part of a more traditional American family. She glanced at Mac and saw that he was doing the exact same thing as she was. Later she'd make a point to tell Leslie that he looked just like Gregory Peck did when he played Atticus Finch in, "To Kill a Mockingbird".

"You must think we're plain crazy," Kelly said to Zoe after she realized that a simple teasing statement had resulted in both her son and goddaughter frowning like they were toddlers or something.

"Honestly I think it's nice," Zoe said shrugging and smiling. "Plus it's nice to see Wade lose a verbal battle every now and again because he almost always come up with a comeback so infuriating that he beats me."

"Oh he gets that from his mama," Mac replied, finally joining in the conversation. "That and that smile of his. I told him that he should go into law because every time he'd smile at a jury he'd have all of the women in the palm of his hand wanting to help him with whatever crusade he was leading."

"I could see that," Zoe admitted thinking of how early on when she first met Wade his smile would always leave her blinking a few times in a desperate attempt to clear her head.

"So how'd that gumbo work out for you? Moe's recipe really is something else," Kelly asked as she stood to fix herself another drink. If she hadn't had her back turned to Zoe she would have noticed the way the girl's eyebrows rose in surprise as well as the look that she immediately shot Wade.

Zoe stared at Wade in disbelief for a second before pulling it together and saying, "It got second. Bluebell wasn't ready to admit that someone could do gumbo better than Brick," she joked in attempt to cover up her surprise. The way that Wade was staring at his drink as though it was something interesting said that not only did he make the gumbo but that he never thought she'd found out.

"Damn Bluebell," Jane cursed softly. "I wonder when they'll finally see Brick for the jackass that he is. I mean you know that he's been trying to snag Mallory Alms from Jack for years."

"Let's not turn this into a session where ya'll spend an hour debating the worst part of Brick Breeland's character or Zoe won't come back for another meal," Mac told them. It was obvious that he'd had too endure one too many of these conversations before and wasn't in the mood to listen to another one even though he didn't like Brick either. "Why don't we talk about something more interesting like the time we had to drive to New Orleans to bail Nick, Wade, and George out of jail."

Zoe looked at Wade and could tell just by the way his cheeks were reddening that this was the kind of story that she would enjoy hearing.

"So the first thing you need to know about that night was that it was our anniversary and we went to Destin to celebrate," Mac started. "Anyway we get this call at our condo at 3:00 a.m. from a piss drunk George saying that Nick, Wade, George, and Brock got arrested on Bourbon Street and the police wouldn't let them go unless parents showed up."

"In our defense we only got caught drunk on Bourbon Street because MK and George got into a fight and she stormed off with our keycard and then no one could get a hold of her. George was so damn inconsolable and then he blurts out that Leslie and Nick are lucky that they don't have fight him and MK do which of course was news to Brock," Wade explained smiling even though at the time he'd been so mad he thought might kill his three closest friends.

"Brock was so mad that he basically throws a punch at me," Nick added shaking his head at the memory of just how close Brock had come to putting him to sleep right there on Bourbon Street. Luckily Brock had been drunk enough that it was a haymaker that missed.

Wade clicked his tongue, "Which the cop saw and took as a sign that we were took drunk to be on the street."

"He was willing to let them go but someone had to come get them and escort them to their hotel room," Mac explained.

"And I was MIA." Leslie frowned thinking of the rage written all over Brock's face when he found out that Leslie and Nick were seeing each other. The plan had been to tell him the next week when he was sloppy drunk and there was a pretty girl to console him. It certainly hadn't been for him to learn on Bourbon Street when George was crying like it was his party and he could cry if he wanted to or however the hell that song went. "I was trying to convince MK that she was overreacting and that George was not interested in the blonde girl who was dancing all over him at the bar."

"So we get hauled off to jail and end up each wasting a phone call trying to get in touch with MK, Leslie, and one other member of our group. Finally out of sheer desperation I have George call them at the beach house," Wade told her noticing that she was obviously enjoying this story. He guessed that Zoe hadn't been dumb enough to make the same kind of mistakes when she was younger.

"Now George is like I said piss drunk and he kept just saying in jail, MK so mad. I ended up having to call the damn station to find out what the hell he was talking about." Mac shook his head just thinking about his dismay when the cop explained the situation. "And the worst part of this whole story is that when we show up at the hotel after driving all night to get the dumbasses Leslie hasn't even noticed that they never showed back up."

"I was trying to console MK," she reiterated.

"More like you fell asleep in MK's room," Nick corrected not even caring that she hated whenever he said that.

"We would have punished Wade but it seemed like being trapped in a cell with Brock who just kept fighting with Nick about how he broke the so-called "bro code" and George who couldn't seem to pull himself together seemed like punishment enough." Kelly said her laughter almost tinkling in the air.

"It was," Wade insisted. "Zoe it was like pure hell. To this day I can't even think about the city of New Orleans without flashing back to the tiny ass cell. All I can hear is George saying do you think MK will forgive me? I just love her so much Wade."

"MK was his girlfriend before Lemon, right?" Zoe asked thinking that they must have obviously liked her more than Lemon the way that they always brought her up even though it seemed obvious that she hadn't been in the picture for quite a while. She wondered if they did this in Lemon's presence too? Once again she thought it was good that they seemed to like her or she could imagine that she would be hearing about one of Wade's exes who they deemed as being obviously better than her.

"Depends on who you ask," Leslie answered truthfully. "Most people would say that she was more like his first fiancé."

"They were engaged?" She asked, obviously surprised that she hadn't heard this before.

"According to Leslie the ring Lemon has been wearing around town was purchased for MK," Wade explained. "There is no proof that that is true, but I will admit that he did show me the ring long before him and Lemon were dating and asked what I thought about it."

"No way," Zoe replied in dismay.

"I bet when you came all the way down here to be a doctor that you didn't expect to encounter such small town drama," Jane trilled.

"No I can't say I did," Zoe admitted. "Then again I've found a lot of things here that I didn't expect." She said, shooting Wade a flirtatious smile.

- W - & - Z -

"That was fun," Zoe replied as she climbed out of Wade's car. They were standing at the intersection between both of their carriage houses. A moment later she added, "Maybe even the best Thanksgiving I've ever had."

"I'm glad," he whispered leaning down to give her a kiss. "My mama kept saying over and over again just how much she loved you when she was packing us up some leftovers."

"I'm just glad. Most mothers think I'm a terrible choice because I'm a little intense."

"I like your intensity."

"You didn't seem to like it much when I first moved in."

"That's not true," he replied, "What I didn't like was that you didn't find me nearly as charming as I wanted you to."

"Well you did blow the fuse my very first night here," she reminded him.

"I didn't even know you were here. I might have been a little more friendly with the power otherwise."

"Really?" She asked not even bother to hide the fact that she was not convinced that he was telling the truth.

He smirked. "Okay probably not."

She rolled her eyes and playfully shoved him. "That's what I thought."

"Maybe if I'd known you were so good looking I might have at least made sure I wasn't entertaining girls that were far less attractive than you."

"And you wonder why people always ask how you convinced me to go out with you," she joked.

He rolled his eyes and furrowed his brows but didn't say anything in return. Instead he just sort of looked at her, appreciating the way the moonlight made her seem to glow. He was struck as he always was by just how beautiful she was.

"What are you doing?" She asked so quietly she almost could barely hear herself pose the question. If the cicadas had been out like they were when she first moved here they would have certainly drowned her out.

He reached out and gently tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear before answering, "Just taking you all in."

She nodded and stared at him for a second, biting her lip like she always did when she was nervous.

"Just say it," he urged.

"Stay with me tonight," she said in what was a mix between pleading and a murmur.

"Are you sure?"

She smiled faintly, "Yeah."

Before she could change her mind Wade kissed her passionately somehow managed to lift her while only breaking the kiss for a second. As if out of a movie he carried her right into the carriage house and then into her bedroom.

Just after he laid her on her bed he quietly mused to himself that he might just be in love with Zoe Hart. It should have scared him. Instead it just made him smile.

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: WHOO! THE IRON BOWL IS IN A LITTLE OVER 12 HOURS. I'M CROSSING MY FINGERS THAT AUBURN CAN PULL OFF SOME SORT OF MIRACLE. I HOPE THAT YA'LL HAD GREAT THANKSGIVINGS! YOUR REVIEWS HAVE REALLY JUST FLOORED ME. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS CHAPTER. YOU GUYS REALLY ARE SIMPLY THE BEST! ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'D WANT TO SEE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER? I HONESTLY THINK I'VE ONLY GOT A FEW MORE. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW I WOULD STRETCH THIS STORY OUT MUCH MORE. IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA AS TO HOW I WOULD DO THAT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW. THANKS! ONCE AGAIN CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE REVIEWS! - KRISTINE. P.S. WAR EAGLE!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'M BACK! SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I HAD TO FINISH UP MY FINALS. YA'LL ARE ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YA'LL THINK OF THIS CHAPTER. ANYWAY WITHOUT FURTHER ADO…CHAPTER NINE! - KRISTINE. **

**RATING: PG-13 (THERE IS SOME SUGGESTIVE BANTER IN THIS CHAPTER)**

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO. **

**CHAPTER NINE: THE BRITISH BULLDOG**

- W - & - Z -

"How the heck do you know how to get around this place?" Wade asked as he allowed her to guide them through the bustling streets. It reminded him of Auburn on the weekend of the Iron Bowl except of course a hell of a lot less friendly and colder too.

Zoe looked up at him and smiled when she saw his eyes constantly searching the area as if trying to take everything in. She could hardly believe they were here together right now. If it weren't for the people bumping into her as they bustled by she might have thought it was a dream. "You learn. It's the same with you and the woods except at least everything doesn't look exactly alike."

He rolled his eyes. "I'll take your word for it. How much further is this place?"

"It's just up ahead." She said thinking again how strange of a situation this all was. She had never expected that she'd actually meet George's ex almost fiancée and it'd be at one of her favorite bars to go to on the rare night when she was done with her shift before last call.

"I finally understand how in the world you manage to walk all over Bluebell in those ridiculous heels of yours," he said only half-kidding. He could never imagine walking this much especially at the rate she was moving. Now that she was up here Zoe was hustling like the rest of them. If they hadn't been moving so quickly he would have been able to really appreciate the way the tight pair of jeans she was wearing were hugging her butt like a second skin. "You should wear these jeans more often when we get back home."

She rolled her eyes and tried to resist the urge to smile when she saw his smirk. She failed to resist the urge when he followed the smirk up with a wink. "We're here," she motioned to the building in front of them whose sign proudly proclaimed it, The British Bulldog.

Wade did his best to picture Zoe in a place like this. When that failed he simply opened the door and ushered her inside. Inside he was even more surprised when he saw just how different it looked from any bar he'd ever been in before. Hell the place actually had a décor. He glanced around and saw that they had beat MK. "She isn't here yet. I guess I should go ahead and grab us a booth and some drinks. Want a Cuba Libre?"

"Actually I want a Newcastle," she said as she slid into a booth.

"Zoe Hart you never cease to surprise," he told her before heading towards the bar.

She watched in delight as the bartender's eyebrows rose in surprise when he heard Wade's drawl. This wasn't the kind of place that fetched people that weren't from within a five block radius.

"You should have seen the look that man gave me," Wade joked as he slid in beside her. "You'd have thought I was speaking French or something."

She could remember feeling the same way when she first moved to Bluebell. Somehow without her realizing it she had actually stopped noticing the accents. "What'd you get?"

"I figured I'd take after you and get a Newcastle too. We don't have too many imports at the Rammer Jammer and I've spent the majority of my life drinking cheap domestics."

"It's all I used to drink."

He started to ask when in the world she switched to wine when the door to the pub opened and in walked MK. He grinned like a Cheshire cat before sliding out of the booth to greet her and wrap her up in a tight hug.

Zoe's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had figured that MK would be a beautiful blonde like lemon. Instead she was a tall, leggy brunette with raven hair and skin the color of a cappuccino. Her surprise must have been written all over her face because as MK slid into the booth she said, "I'm just as surprised you're an actual surgeon from New York as you are that I'm biracial."

"I didn't mean," Zoe started. It was obvious she felt embarrassed about being caught.

MK laughed. "It's okay. Believe me I can't believe that George and I dated either." She smiled, displaying teeth so perfect and white she looked like she used to be in a Crest commercial. "Now please tell me how in the hell you got this sorry sack all the way up to New York at Christmas no less."

- W - & - Z -

Wade groaned softly as he parked his car. It had been one of those nights. Rickey Abbott had shown up drunk as a skunk and looking to break to Andy Parker's jaw. Andy had cheated on Kristy, Rickey's baby sister with a stripper from Mobile. After breaking it up and nearly taking a pool stick to the back, the night had somehow gotten worse. Apparently, the town of Bluebell had decided that tonight was as good a night as any to bust his damn balls. All he wanted to do now was climb into bed with Zoe and appreciate the way she instinctively fit herself into his arms even when she was too sleepy to do more than murmur a soft hello.

Much to Wade's surprise, Zoe was definitely not asleep when he walked into her carriage house. He'd been staying there every night since Thanksgiving because not only was her bed more comfortable, but even if it hadn't been she would have made it worth the backache.

"What are you still doing up?" He asked softly as he tossed his keys on her coffee table, shirking his t-shirt before softly plopping down beside her on the couch. It was only then that he noticed the nearly empty bottle of cheap Merlot that was sitting at her feet. "Or I guess I should ask how on Earth you are still up?" he joked quietly as he pulled her to him and placed a soft kiss into her hair.

"My Dad called," she told him quietly. "The heart surgeon one," she added as if Wade actually thought that Harley had somehow gotten in touch with her from beyond. Had that actually happened she probably would have thought about drinking something stronger than Merlot. Hell she probably would have pulled an Earl and stood on top of the hardware store to let the entire town of Bluebell know.

Wade tensed. He knew just how touchy of a subject this was for her. In all of the conversations they'd had, Wade couldn't say anything he actually knew about the man Zoe had until recently known as her father, well anything that is, other than his job. Wade definitely knew just how good he was at that.

"He wants me to come home for Chanukah." She explained laughing so bitterly she sounded almost like an evil queen. For so long she had waited for her father to call her and acknowledge that she was doing her damnedest to follow in his footsteps. She could count the number of times he managed to actually do that on one hand. And now that she had finally gotten over the fact that Michael Hart didn't see a point in being there for her, he finally decided to call. "He hasn't called me even one time since I moved down here. Not a single damn time and out of the blue he calls to make sure I'm going to be there for Chanukah."

"You're Jewish?" He asked the surprise was evident in both his tone and the look on his face.

It shouldn't have been the right response. It should have been the kind of question that made her want to punch him in the shoulder and tell him to focus on the actual problem at hand which was definitely not her religion of choice. Instead it made her smile softly. "My Hebrew name is Dalia."

"Dalia?" He asked. His brows furrowed as he tried to imagine calling her Dalia instead of Zoe. He briefly considered asking what in the world she meant by a Hebrew name, but figured that was the kind of question that would earn him an incredulous look.

"It's my favorite aunt's name. She's a pastry chef in Boston." She told him. She sniffled just a little and tried to resist the urge to cry as it occurred to her that Aunt Dalia was not her aunt anymore. Somehow she had been so distracted trying to save Harley's practice that she hadn't really taken the time to think about all of the members of her Dad's family who weren't actually a part of her family anymore. "At least I thought she was my Aunt."

"It seems to me that your Dad still wants you to be part of his family," he pointed out hesitantly before quickly adding, "I mean I know I don't know him or your relationship, but that's what it sounds like to me."

Normally Wade hated talking about family with people. He was a firm believer in the idea that nobody could understand your family unless they grew up in it too. After all, he'd had so many people who swore up and down to him that the reason Earl drank was to block out all the sorrow he felt about doing a poor job raising Wade. They said it was the pain that pushed him towards the bottle. Wade always smiled and nodded politely as he listened to people drone on like they knew about his family and then he would say Earl's first love was the bottle and my mama gave him plenty of chances to prove otherwise. Afterwards he would say but thanks for sharing your opinion with me before turning on his heel and leaving the person feeling awkward.

Still he knew that silently listening to Zoe was not what she needed from him right now. He knew that she needed someone to talk about all of this with. She needed a conversation that was more than him just nodding and asking her how she felt about the situation. And so he did what he always tried not to and he gave her his opinion on the situation. He just hoped that she would see he was trying to help and not talking like he'd spent his entire life learning and understanding the dynamics of her relationship with her parents.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she struggled to sit up, it seemed all of the Merlot was starting to catch up to her. She turned around and faced him. Her brown eyes searched his impossibly blue ones. "What makes you say that?"

"Well because I reckon if he was done being your Dad he wouldn't have called to ask about Chanukah," he told her as he gently tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear. With her sitting so close it nearly broke his heart to see just how emotional and vulnerable she seemed to be. Her eyes were rimmed with red as were her teeth, if she hadn't looked so damn pathetic, he would have teased her about that.

She stared at him for a second contemplating whether or not he was right.

Sensing her contemplation he sighed. "It's been my experience that parents who don't care about you don't call to ask about holiday plans and the ones who do, well they call."

"So you think I should go to New York for Chanukah?"

"No," Wade amended smirking a little knowing that what he was about to say would definitely catch her off-guard. Hell he was more than a little surprised by the solution himself. "I think we should go to New York for Chanukah."

Somehow Zoe's eyes managed to widen even more in surprise. They also began to brim with tears as she asked in a voice so impossibly small it was hard to imagine it coming from a surgeon who couldn't see the point in bedside manner if you knew how to do your job, "You'd be willing to do that for me?"

"Of course," he said grabbing her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. It had been a move he learned from his grandfather. Whenever his grandmother or mother got upset, his grandfather would always grab their hand and give it a quick squeeze. In his case it was shoulder squeeze. Somehow it always seemed to do the trick. When he asked his grandfather how it always seemed to work, he'd looked at him and shrugged before replying in his soft drawl, "_As long you as mean it then it'll always be the best way to let them know that they still have you"_. At the time he hadn't understood what exactly that meant. Now he understood that what his grandfather and just how true it was. "I figure you spent Thanksgiving with me and my family so the least I can do is let you try to convince me that New York really is better than Bluebell."

"You do realize that my family is the opposite of yours is in every way and even calling it a family is a bit of a stretch," she reminded him. She silently mused that he had no idea what he was getting himself into. His family had been the kind of amazing group of people you feel lucky to even get to be around. Her family more closely resembled a couple that should have broken up within the first two months, but for some reason kept insisting that they could make it work.

He smirked and leaned forward to gently kiss her check. "We both know I don't scare too easily."

- W - & - Z -

"Leslie was right," MK declared briefly clapping her hands in delight. "You do have Wade wrapped around your finger."

"I resent that assessment," Wade half-heartedly protested.

"You once wouldn't even go to Mississippi for that Tri Delt you were dating at the times birthday. I seem to remember you saying that you would never skip a chance to go see deep sea fishing on account of a girl." She reminded as she motioned for the waiter behind the bar to bring them another round.

He chuckled softly. "She wanted me to meet her grandmother and we'd only been kind of dating for a month if that."

"And how long have you two been together?"

Zoe knew right then and there that MK was a lawyer. She had the kind of hawk-eye stare that had the potential to make you uncomfortable if you were on the receiving end of it for too long. "Right around 5 weeks," she said as she gladly accepted another Newcastle.

"More than a month," he pointed out. He started to needle MK about something that he knew would drive her crazy when his phone started to vibrate in his pocket. He frowned for a split second before sighing and sliding out of the booth, "I need to take this." He walked towards the empty section of the bar figuring it'd be quieter than going outside.

"It's probably Bernie," MK told her before taking a long pull of her beer.

"Bernie?"

"His agent," she explained. "Someone must have tipped him off that Wade was up here."

Zoe frowned wondering how it was she didn't know he had agent. It made sense seeing as he was on what she had been told was a highly successful outdoor television show. Still how the fact that he had a manager who just happened to work in New York City and was trying to get in touch with him hadn't come up was a little harder for her to wrap her mind around.

"He doesn't like to talk about Bernie. I think it makes him think about Brock. I'm sure you've already heard this but he was in a bad way after Brock's death. Leslie said the credit for him turning things around belongs to you so I guess I owe you a big thank you for that."

MK had been shocked when she showed up for the funeral and found Wade looking distraught and unkempt. It had taken a joint effort from her, George, and Leslie to get him dressed and ready for the services. Even though she had gotten on the red eye back to New York that night she had made sure to keep tabs on Wade. It wasn't until Zoe moved to town that Wade's overall demeanor seemed to actually take an upturn.

"No thanks necessary. Wade's kept me from going insane since moving to Bluebell."

"Brick Breeland is a dick."

"You're telling me but other than Brick and Lemon things have actually been okay. I mean it isn't New York but it isn't purgatory either."

"I thought the same thing when I moved to Auburn. Then again it was more it isn't Boston, New Haven, or New York but it isn't purgatory in my case."

"You're from up here?" Zoe asked noticing for the first time that MK lacked a Southern drawl.

"Guilford, Connecticut," she answered taking a second to remove her blazer. "My twin brother Nate was a great running back and signed with Auburn. My parents wanted us to go to school together so instead of Brown, Columbia, or Dartmouth I went to Auburn with him."

"And you met George there?"

"Yes I did and we dated for almost three years."

"And then?"

MK paused and stared into her beer for a second before shrugging and flashing Zoe a sad smile. "We got into a huge fight and neither one of us were willing to apologize. Then ole Lemon wheedled her way in. The rest as they say is history."

Zoe knew she should have left it at that. She knew that the story should have stopped there. She should have taken a moment to find out an embarrassing story about Wade. She should have done anything other than ask MK another personal question. Of course there was a difference between knowing better and doing better so of course Zoe asked, "Are you the reason he moved to New York after law school?"

MK glanced up at her, shock so obvious it was practically tattooed on her forehead. "I like to think so. I'm also the reason Lemon refused to join him so he eventually went back home."

Zoe nodded and mulled over that for a second. "It must really bother her that his parents preferred him taking a half-black girl from Connecticut to a southern belle like herself."

In response MK threw her head back and cackled loudly thinking that Leslie sure was right about Zoe. Once she was able to stop laughing she calmed down and quietly noted, "You're going to have a tough time convincing him to come up here when you're times up in Bluebell."

Zoe locked eyes with MK and could tell that MK had had the same problem with George. She frowned for a second before quickly taking a sip of her beer to cover it up.

When Wade returned moments later the two women were laughing again about a story that MK had decided to share. It was about the time George, Leslie, Wade, Brock, and Wade had gotten stuck in the mud in a field in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service. It helped that Zoe was by then on her third Newcastle which made the story and the thought of Wade nearly covered from head to toe in mud that really had her cackling.

"I don't mean to ruin ya'll's good time but Zoe we're supposed to be meeting your Dad for dinner in an hour and I reckon I should get changed before we go."

"Look at you wanting to make a good impression," MK teased as she stood to give him a kiss on the cheek as well as another tight hug. "You promise you'll see me again before going back to Bluebell."

"Promise," he assured her. "And I like your new haircut. It suits you."

"Thanks Wade," she replied as she hugged him one more time. "And next time I see you two, you'll have to regal me with that whole story of how you two met."

- W - & - Z -

Zoe grinned when she checked her cell phone and saw that she had a text message from Leslie talking about how MK just loved her. She was glad that she had made a good impression on one of Wade's closest friends. She knew just how important that was to him.

"Does this look alright?" Wade asked as he emerged from the bathroom. He had a black suit that she could tell just by looking at it was a vintage Ralph Lauren. He'd paired it with a classic white button down.

"You look great," she assured him as she fixed the white cocktail dress that her mother had surprised her with at brunch that morning.

"Should I wear a tie?"

"No," she told him as she pulled him towards her by his lapels. She quickly pecked his cheek. Before moving away she whispered in his ear, "In fact you look so good you're making me want to cancel dinner with my Dad."

He smiled devilishly in response. It was obvious that he wanted to take her up on her offer. Instead he pulled away and said, "Wait here for a second."

She smiled but did as he instructed. Her smile turned to a puzzling stare when he returned holding a black velvet box. "What's that?"

"You're first Chanukah present," he told her as he handed it to her. He bit his lip and watched as she slowly opened it. He was surprised that she hadn't protested it.

Zoe glanced up at him in surprise once more before smiling and opening the box. When she saw that it was a pearl necklace she nearly fainted in surprise. "Wade," she said softly suddenly at a loss for words.

"Do you like it?"

"Of course I do," she said as she motioned for him to put them on her. "They're beautiful."

"My mama always said that a woman needs pearls. I looked in your jewelry box and saw that you didn't have any so…"

"Thank you," she said, blinking rapidly trying to keep her tears at bay. How Wade could handle her when it seemed like she was always on the verge of tears was beyond her. "I was going to give it to you after dinner but," she said as she quickly moved to her luggage and pulled out a small package.

Wade stared at it in surprise. He simply held it for a second before quickly shedding the wrapping paper. He laughed loudly when he saw that she had bought him an intricate silver flask with his fraternity's crest on it as well as his initials. "This is the best damn gift I've gotten in a while Zoe."

"You mean it?"

"If we didn't need to make dinner reservations I'd been inclined to show you just how much," he told her. He grinned as her cheeks blushed. "You ready?"

Zoe glanced at herself in the mirror before nodding and linking arms with him.

Zoe Hart was about to have dinner with a father she hadn't talked to since at least last Chanukah with a man who she'd only been dating for five weeks. She doubted she had an imagination vivid enough to even dream something like this up.

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO NEXT CHAPTER WE'LL MEET THE MICHAEL HART. ALSO I PREFER TO WRITE THE TUCKERS AS BEING A LITTLE NICER THAN THEY ARE PORTRAYED ON THE SHOW BECAUSE ALL OF THAT NASTINESS ISN'T WORTH A DAMN. HAHA. NEXT CHAPTER THERE WILL ALSO BE A VERY INTERESTING TURN. I HOPE YA'LL ARE READY FOR IT. I LOOK FORWARD TO YA'LLS REACTIONS. ALSO WHAT'D YOU THINK OF MK? YA'LL ARE THE BEST! I LOVE TO READ YOUR REVIEWS! THEY MAKE MY DAY! - KRISTINE. **


	10. Chapter 10

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SORRY ABOUT THE CONFUSING ERROR IN THE LAST CHAPTER. THEY HAVE ONLY BEEN TOGETHER FIVE WEEKS. I SOMETIMES JUST TYPE TOO QUICKLY FOR MY OWN GOOD. PLUS I HAVE A TENDENCY TO CRANK CHAPTERS. ERRORS ARE KIND OF ACHILLES HEEL. WELL THAT A RELIANCE ON DIALOGUE. ANYWAY I HOPE YA'LL LIKE THIS. I'M GLAD YA'LL ARE LIKING THIS STORY. IF YOU NEED ANOTHER GOOD HART OF DIXIE STORY YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT RESCUE ME. IT'S A MILLION TIMES BETTER THAN THIS ONE. I'M SURE THAT A LOT OF YOU ARE SILENTLY AGREEING WITH ME ON THAT ONE. PLEASE DON'T ACTUALLY DESTORY MY DAY AND TELL ME HOW MUCH BETTER IT IS THOUGH. I'M NOT SURE MY FRAGILE PSYCHE COULD HANDLE THAT. HAHA. ANYWAY I HOPE YA'LL LIKE THIS CHAPTER. - KRISTINE. **

**P.S.: WHEN YOU PICTURE ZOE'S FATHER PLEASE PICTURE MICHAEL NOURI. YOU MAY REMEMBER HIM AS NEIL ROBERTS, SUMMER'S PLASTIC SURGEON FATHER ON THE OC. I FIGURE WHY CAST SOMEONE ELSE IN A ROLE THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY MADE FOR THE MAN. HAHA. **

**RATING: PG-13 THIS IS A FAIRLY SUGGESTIVE CHAPTER. **

**DISCLAIMER: HAHA, NO. **

**CHAPTER: CHANUKAH GIFTS**

- W - & - Z -

"Zoe there's something I haven't told you before that might have been worth mentioning," he confessed. It didn't escape him that his voice sounded shaky like he was just on the brink of puberty.

"I hope you aren't about to tell me that you do have a secret marriage after all," she said. She had meant for it come off as a joke, but even to her own ears she knew she sounded genuinely worried about the situation.

"Don't worry. I still haven't collected one of those and it's nothing that serious." He assured her. He smiled weakly when he saw how obviously relieved she was by his assurance. It almost made him wonder if such a situation had actually happened to her. "It's just I don't meet Dads. Well at least I never have before."

He just didn't. He'd met a few mamas, but never in his life had he been willing to introduce himself to a single father. When George once questioned him about it, he'd simply smirked and explained that fathers could see through his bullshit grin. After all, any daddy who cared enough to want to know the boy his daughter was dating would surely be able to quickly see that Wade's main intention was to love and leave their little girl.

She tried her damnedest to keep from laughing. She could tell that he was genuinely concerned. Still it had to have been the cutest confession any guy had ever shared with her. She bit her lip and reached across the table to gently squeeze his hand. "It's going to be okay Wade."

Wade scoffed and shook his head. "Your father is an ultra successful surgeon who you have aspired to be your entire life. My only job credit on the hand includes being on an outdoor hunting and fishing show that boasted beer could always improve the quality of an episode."

She grinned. She was truly touched that he had put this much thought into this situation. If Leslie had been there she would have made a joke about whipped Wade was. Hell she could already hear Leslie's loud laughter as she declared that Wade hadn't spent this much time thinking since well…ever.

"You make me happy. That's all that matters." She told him.

She would have said more, but then she saw her father walking towards them. She bit her lip and smiled. She didn't want to be this excited about seeing him, but she couldn't help it. She missed him. Harley Wilkes might have been her biological father, but that didn't stop Michael Hart from being her actual father. He was wearing the charcoal suit, he always wore to conferences. Its sheer existence drove her mother crazy. She always complained that the man made enough money that he should have been able to buy more than one suit. Her smile morphed into a mix between intrigue and surprise when she saw that her mother was right on her father's heels. Despite being married for almost 30 years, they rarely did anything together at this point. Her mother referred to it as something akin to a separate but equal marriage.

Wade's eyes widened in surprise when as the Harts drew closer, he realized just how much bigger Dr. Hart was than he was expecting. At nearly 6'4", he couldn't help but think the good doctor would have made a hell of a SEC football player. Maybe if he'd been playing for Auburn, they would have actually been able to beat Broadway Joe. He'd been expecting a guy who was several inches shorter, much thinner, and with almost no hair.

"Sorry we're late," Candice replied as she gave her a daughter a quick hug, before pecking Wade on the cheek. "We probably should have ordered a car, but you know hindsight is 20/20 especially when it comes to getting anywhere in New York. I can't imagine how you guys got a taxi outside of your building."

"We aren't staying in my building. We got a room at The Carlyle." Zoe said as she flashed her mother a tight smile, clearly letting her know to drop the subject. When her mother briefly smiled back and nodded, it was clear that her message had been received. That tight smile soon became real when she felt her father wrap her up in a hug that was so substantial it completely caught her off-guard.

The last time her father had hugged her that way she'd been 9 years old. The reconstruction of the human heart that she had put together for her school science fair had won first place. She'd been so excited that the moment her father got home from an afternoon surgery she'd instantly launched into a play-by-play of her victory. He'd smiled proudly and listened intently. When she was done he'd swept her up in a tight hug and proclaimed that he was lucky his little girl just happened to be the smartest girl in the entire city.

"It's so good to see you my bubbala," he whispered, placing a kiss in her hair before letting her go. Afterwards he turned his attention to Wade. While he was still smiling it was clear that he was sizing the young man up. "You must be Wade," he said as he extended his hand.

"Guilty," Wade replied as he accepted the older man's handshake. When he saw Dr. Hart's lip curl into almost imperceptible smile he knew that at least the handshake had made a good impression. "It's a pleasure to get to meet you Dr. Hart."

"Please call me Michael."

Zoe grinned. Her father never let people call him Michael unless they were colleagues that also served as close friends. Family members and his friends from before med school called him Mike, but that was it. He had insisted that her ex-boyfriend Paul who she had been with since her junior year of college call him Dr. Hart.

"So my wife tells me that you had some sort of television show," Michael said as he took a long pull of his bourbon.

"It was an outdoorsman show called, Southern-" Wade started.

"Gentlemen," Michael finished for him. "That is you, isn't it?"

"You've seen his show?" Zoe asked not bothering to hide her surprise.

"Les Murray was obsessed with it and would watch it all day in between surgeries." He explained wearing an amused expression. "He's a plastic surgeon from Baton Rouge. He would swear up and down that it was the best show on television."

"I assure you that he was exaggerating," Wade said. Despite sporting a cocky personality, he'd never been good at accepting compliments in regards to anything other than his looks and barbacking skills. "It was at best a good fraternity drinking game."

Zoe rolled her eyes. Underneath the table she squeezed his knee. "He's being modest. It's a really good show."

Michael chuckled softly. "I actually watched the episode where you went gator hunting with some swampers in Hammond, Louisiana. I'd be lying if I said I didn't stay until the very end."

Candice snorted softly. "Please tell me that my dear husband is mixed up and that you did not actually hunt alligators in Louisiana. You must have been terrified."

"Let's just say we had our good friend Jim Beam to help us get over the nerves," Wade said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced at Zoe and felt relief when he saw her smile.

At least she thought things seemed to be going okay.

- W - & - Z -

"They loved you," Zoe whispered once they were in the cab and on the way back to their hotel. "I mean you actually had my father laughing. I didn't even know the man knew how to laugh at something other than the occasional Jerry Seinfeld joke."

He gazed at her and was astounded by her beauty. He wondered if there was ever going to be a time when her beauty didn't take his breath away. Seriously her hair was a little wild and her cheeks were tinged pink from just how cold it was. She should have looked like a mess. Any other girl would have, but to him she was perfect.

"That was the most fun I've had with both of my parents in attendance in nearly a decade," she murmured into his chest. She closed her eyes when he started to gently run his fingers through her hair. It never ceased to amaze her how such a small gesture could make her feel so much. "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me darlin'. I had a good time too. Your parents aren't nearly as uptight as you made it seem like they were going to be."

She chuckled into his chest. "I can't even explain that. They are seriously never like that. Usually the only thing keeping a meal from stalling is booze. My mother used to go through an entire bottle of wine by herself whenever we had family dinners."

"They've probably missed you," he pointed out.

"Maybe," she said softly. "My Dad wants me to observe his surgery tomorrow."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she answered. "He's using this new technique that has the potential to really change the amount of risk involved in heart transplants. There's going to be a journal write-up about it in the New England Journal of Medicine."

"That sounds like something right up your alley."

"I just know that I'll run into all of his old colleagues and they'll all want to know how it is I'm managing in…was it Alabama or Mississippi." She frowned. "You should know that doctors are the worst at remembering details which is kind of sad because you know details are pretty important in deciding what's wrong with someone."

He smirked. "I would agree with that statement. You shouldn't be embarrassed about working in Bluebell."

"It's not that I'm embarrassed so much as," she stopped when she realized that no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't seem to find the right word.

She loved working in Bluebell. She really did. Brick might have been an asshole but the man was proving to be a good teacher. The cases were never quite what she was used to but that seemed to actually be helping her become a well rounded doctor which her professors always claimed was a must. And then there the flat out positives that she never expected. She actually loved the people. And even though Addie's sassy looks and habit of calling her out on her bullshit had a tendency to drive her crazy, she was probably the most valuable nurse to walk this planet. Even better she appreciated that her patients actually knew her name and she knew theirs. She was invested in that town. She was invested in Harley's practice. Still how could she explain all of that to men who'd been working high profile surgeon jobs for so long they were actually featured in many of med school lectures? Some of them had actually written the textbook.

"Zoe you don't have to explain anything to those men. You should go watch your Dad's surgery tomorrow and if they ask you about life as a GP well then you say it's definitely seemed almost like a lesson in Sociology or Anthropology. I never could remember the difference between the two." Even though his voice was light he was serious. The last thing he wanted was for her to travel all this way only to be made to feel inadequate because the plan she'd had her heart set on hadn't worked out the way she wanted.

She pulled back from his grasp to look at him. She bit her lip and nodded when she saw just how serious he looked. She leaned forward and gently kissed him.

"Do you want to come with me?"

He smirked as he shook his head no. "Surgery isn't really my cup of tea. Plus I figured I should throw ole Bernie a bone while I'm up here and actually sit down for a meeting with him."

"What kind of a meeting?"

"The kind where he tries to convince me that another show could work," he muttered. His contempt for the idea was obvious by his tone. "Still he swears he has something new that he thinks I'll actually consider."

She nodded, but didn't say anything. She was still struggling to wrap her mind around the fact that Wade as so much more than she could ever imagined. In the last five weeks there were times when she would look at him and she could tell that he was thinking about Brock. She couldn't imagine how much of a struggle it had to be to put himself back together. Her friendship with Gigi wasn't nearly as strong as it had been. Still the mere thought that if she might never be able to call Gigi again practically sent her into a panic. Zoe was almost positive that Wade was the strongest man she'd ever met.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

She hesitated. "My Dad kept talking about the show and all I could think is how can he just smile and laugh when that show is an everyday reminder of how much you've lost."

"It ain't easy." He admitted quietly. "There was a time when if a fan brought the show up to me I'd make an excuse so I could get the hell out of dodge. Still after a while I realized that that show was one of the best parts of my friendship with Brock and I'll always have it. Most people can't say that. Some of our best memories are available in HD on DVD and Blu-Ray." He smiled weakly adding, "Plus Brock'd be pissed at me."

"You know Wade you just might be the best man I've ever met."

"Might?" He asked pretending to be dismayed. "And here I was ready to shout from the rooftops that I'm glad New York has temporarily lost one of its finest citizens because it meant I have you. But damn all I get is a might?"

She laughed quietly and rolled her eyes. "You sure are dramatic."

"I've learned from my neighbor. You should see the tempers she'd throw when I "accidentally" used too much power."

She gasped and swatted his chest. "I knew you did that on purpose!"

"Of course I did," he admitted grinning like the lovesick fool he knew that he was. "It gave me the perfect opportunity to see you in those little getups of yours. I mean for a petite girl you have mighty fine legs."

The first time he used too much power had truly been an accident. Actually it'd be more like a moment of self-absorbed selfishness. He'd been far more interested in getting those two girls to break down some inhibitions than anything else. Still the times after that definitely were not. He'd embarrassingly admit that seeing her pout and shout were the damn highlights of her day. It'd leave him grinning like a madman.

She rolled her eyes and snorted so loudly if she'd been in the cab with anyone else it would have embarrassed her. "You are such a pig sometimes."

He smirked and proceeded to pepper her with gentle kisses before whispering in a voice so low and husky it made Zoe feel something from her head to toes, "I prefer to think of it as perversely charming."

To that Zoe cackled.

- W - & - Z -

"You were amazing in there," Zoe gushed as she took a sip of her coffee.

It was late in the afternoon and they were sitting in the cafeteria. They could have gone somewhere else. There were at least six coffee shops within a two-block radius. Still neither one of them had questioned the decision to simply get a coffee in the cafeteria. That's what doctors did.

When she was younger she used to dream that they would do this all of the time. She imagined that they would meet here after both completing high-profile successful surgeries. They would swap horror stories and make jokes about other less talented surgeons. That had been her dream. She never imagined that the first time they drank a cup of coffee in this cafeteria together she would be a GP and not the proud owner of the fellowship she had so strongly desired. Still she couldn't help but wonder if it was better this way. Maybe the hardships had made this a better experience than it normally would have been.

Her father waved off her comment and shrugged. "It was all the technology."

"Yeah which is right now you're probably the only surgeon in the country qualified to actually use it."

"You could do it. I know you could."

"You think so?"

He nodded somberly. "You know Zoe I know that when you found out about Harley you probably thought that the reason I became so distant was because you weren't my daughter. You probably thought I felt like I had no use for you."

"You can't deny that was how it appeared." She murmured. Silently she wondered why they had to have such an intimate conversation in such a crowded area. Anyone they knew could stumble upon them and hear the secret that she was still desperate to hold onto.

"I know. Believe me I know." He whispered. "But it wasn't like that Zoe. I stayed away because it hurt." He paused for a second seemingly trying to collect himself. "You were my perfect little girl and then suddenly you weren't. Can you imagine what it was like? Everyone said you were a perfect mini-version of me, and then to find out that you weren't. Well that crushed bubbala."

"You're still my father and you always will be."

He blinked a few times. It was then that she realized that he was starting to tear up. She reached out and squeezed his hand trying to reassure him.

"Harley does have a place in my life now, but that place won't replace the way you made. I just want to know that you love me as much as I love you."

"Oh Zoe of course I do. You're the best thing there is about me."

She laughed, sniffling softy as she wiped her eyes.

"I have a Chanukah present for you," he said, his eyes practically twinkling with excitement.

"Okay…"

"The young man they picked for the fellowship was all wrong. He nearly had a nervous breakdown a few weeks ago. He definitely wasn't mentally prepared for the rigors of such a taxing position. Anyway they've decided to take on another person for the spot early. They picked you bubbala."

"What?" Zoe asked convinced that she had missed something because there was no way her father had just told her that the fellowship position was hers for the taking.

He smiled and nodded. "It'll start in February. I don't know what this means about your practice in Bluebell, but I'm sure arrangements can be made so you can fill the fellowship spot."

"It's mine?"

"It's yours." He assured her. "Believe me if games are played and the spot was taken from you again when it was obvious you were the most deserving candidate then I would step down from the hospital."

"I need to come back in February for the fellowship."

"I know it's all a little sudden Zoe…" he replied sensing that she was a little rattled by the suddenness of the news.

She stared down in her coffee cup for a second.

"You do still want it don't you?"

She looked up at him. She hesitated for a second before nodding furiously and smiling, "Of course I want it. It's my dream. How else will I replace you as one of the finest cardiothoracic surgeons in the country?"

He noticeably brightened at her insistence that she still wanted the position. He was worried that maybe too much had happened for her to be able to return to her old life. "What do you think Wade will say?"

She gulped and shrugged. "That I'm not so sure about."

- W - & - Z -

"It's a good offer Wade," Bernie insisted as he leaned back in his chair.

He normally didn't have to work this hard to convince his clients that he was right. Wade was the only guy he'd ever worked for that actually regularly turned down job offers. Still this offer was a good one. He knew that it was the best thing Wade was going to get for while, hell if not ever.

Wade took a deep breath and cranked his knuckles.

"We both know your silent treatment is your way of saying that you agree with me." Bernie pointed out.

Wade chuckled softly. "All I can say is that I'll consider it."

"That's all I can ask for."

"Good because that's all I'll give you."

Bernie rolled his eyes. "You're one stubborn asshole Kinsella."

"We both know I've been called worse."

"And we both know that this offer is the world's best Chanukah gift."

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO. WHAT DO YOU THINK? I AM ANTICIPATING SOME PRETTY INTERESTING REACTIONS. HOW MANY OF YA'LL THINK SHE STILL WANTS THE FELLOWSHIP? WHAT DO YOU THINK BERNIE HAS LINED UP FOR WADE? HOW MANY MISTAKES DID I MANAGE TO MAKE IN CRANKING THIS OUT? ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ANSWERED VIA A REVIEW. THEY MAKE MY DAY! I WANT TO GET YOU AT LEAST ONE MORE FOR AN EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT. CONVINCE ME THAT I NEED TO MAKE SURE I DO THAT! I HAVE A FEW OTHER STORIES BEGGING FOR MY ATTENTION SO IT'LL BE CHALLENGE! YA'LL ARE AMAZING! - KRISTINE. **


	11. Chapter 11

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE! I HOPE YA'LL LIKE THIS CHAPTER. IT'S A LITTLE MORE ANGSTY THAT IT'S PREDECESSORS. ALSO YOU GUYS DIGGING MY TAKE ON HER DAD MADE ME HAPPY. I HATE WHEN WRITERS MAKE THE OBVIOUS CHOICE ABOUT CHARACTERS WHICH IS WHAT I THINK THEY'LL DO WITH THE REAL DR. HART. I HAVE A FEELING HE'LL BE A BIT OF A DICK. I WANT TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO ACTUALLY BE LIKEABLE. HAHA. ALSO ALLI IF YOU READ THIS. I KNOW THAT YA'LL IS SPELLED Y'ALL BUT I SPELL IT YA'LL AS AN INSIDE JOKE TO A FRIEND. HAHA. THANK YOU THOUGH FOR KEEPING ME IN CHECK. LORD KNOWS I NEED IT. ANYWAY I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE CHAPTER. - KRISTINE. **

**RATING: PG-13**

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO. **

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: WHAT'S GOING ON**

- W - & - Z -

"Where's Zoe?" MK asked the moment that Wade slid into the booth across from her.

Unlike at the bar that they had met at yesterday, this one was busy. People seemed to be everywhere. All of them sported business attire in various shades of neutral with the rare splash of color thrown in there. Wearing jeans and a navy Columbia jacket, Wade stuck out like a sore thumb. Still if he noticed he didn't show it.

"She's observing her father do some sort of state of the art surgery," he explained motioning to the waitress that he would be willing to drink the same thing that MK was. "She said she'd meet us here after she was done."

"I still can't believe you're dating a future surgeon." She mused chuckling softly to herself as she remembered the long line of ditzy girls she had been forced to meet and feign niceness to over the years. "I mean a brilliant, funny, and attractive surgeon no less."

"You know everyone's reaction to our relationship wounds me." He said as he took a long pull of what he discovered was a Blue Moon. "Is it that hard to believe that someone successful would find me charming?"

"No," she insisted. "What's actually hard to believe, is that you'd be willing to date someone who obviously requires more from you than the occasional compliment and being good in bed. You're a great guy Wade, one of the best I know, but you've never been big on relationships especially if they require work."

He shrugged and stared into his drink. It was obvious that his mind and less than friendly attitude were stemmed from something else.

"What'd Bernie have to say?"

He bit his lip and exhaled noisily. "An outdoor clothing company in Denver wants me to work for them. They think I have what it takes to help diversify their brand." He said, repeating the offer the exact same way Bernie had pitched it.

"Denver?" She asked, sure that she hadn't heard him right.

He nodded, "Denver."

MK stared at him for a second trying to imagine Wade in Denver. Then she tried to imagine what would happen to Wade and Zoe if he were to move to Denver. She knew that Zoe wanted to come back to New York. Bluebell might have been growing on her, but it didn't offer enough to keep her from trying to return home. She knew from experience that sometimes a desire to be successful really did trump everything.

"What are you going to do?"

"I said I'd consider it," he admitted as he took another sip.

He didn't want to admit it, but the offer was mighty appealing. Not only would it allow him to continue to use his knowledge that he'd gained throughout his lifespan as a hunter and fisherman, but it'd give him a chance to have a job he could be proud of. Even though he played the role of easygoing bartender well, he was getting tired of having a job that everyone thought was basically a joke. He had a degree in business after all. Plus he couldn't help but think that if he had a better job then maybe when people asked Zoe what he did for a living they would be able to talk about the job he actually had instead of the one that he used to. He doubted that Dr. Hart would find discussing bartending as interesting as talking about Southern Gentlemen had been.

"And?"

"And what?"

She shot him a look that said cut the bullshit. "Wade I know you and I know that you know whether or not you're going to take this job. Hell you make your mind up faster than nearly anyone I know."

He tried to manage a smirk, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I really don't know MK. I mean there's a lot more to consider than there usually is."

"Like?" She asked even though they both knew what the hell he was alluding to. Still she had to make him say it so that later when she told Leslie about this conversation it wouldn't only include her making inferences at to his mindset.

"Are you really going to make me say it?"

"Did I once make George sleep on my front porch after we got in a fight about the efficacy of airing court trials on national television?"

He rolled his eyes and let out a pained sigh. "Damnit MK I don't know what it'll mean for me and Zoe. We just started dating. I don't know if me moving to Denver for a full-time job is the best choice especially when she's trying to get back up here."

"You knew that she was going to leave Bluebell when her time was up?"

"Of course I know," he replied, shaking his head. "I'm the one who puts her fancy surgery journals up when she falls asleep reading them. And I'm the one who catches her watching Discovery Health and staring at the TV in such envy it's a little terrifying. Believe me I know Zoe Hart isn't about to give it all up to stay in Bluebell and work as a damn GP just because the locals are interesting and starting to accept her."

She bit her lip and just sort of gazed at him for a moment. Her Wade was all grown up. She'd be lying if she didn't say that she doubted that this day would ever come. She reached across the table and gently squeezed his hand. Right on the tip of her tongue was the question, if he had ever thought about moving up here to follow her. Still it died right there on the tip of her tongue because Zoe suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"You know we have basically the exact same taste in bars," Zoe remarked as she sat down in the booth beside Wade. She gave him a quick kiss before motioning for the waitress to come over whenever she got a chance.

"After George and I broke up I may or may not have been looking for a doctor so I happened to hit up notorious doctor bars," MK admitted smiling slyly. "Actually a friend of mine is meeting us here. You might know him, his name is Danny Newman. He's an internist."

Zoe sat there for a second thinking that she recognized the name, but she wasn't sure why. "I probably do, but I can't place from where."

"Well you'll love him," she assured her. "So how was the state of the art surgery?"

"It was good," Zoe said unable to wipe the grin off of her face. "It really seems like it is going to live up to its promise. How was your meeting with Bernie?" She asked as she turned towards Wade noting that he was unusually quiet. If she didn't know better she would have even pegged him as being just a little bit broody. Still that couldn't be possible because Wade didn't brood. It was just not like him.

"It was okay," he said, shrugging.

"Did he have an offer for you?"

"Not one worth considering," he lied. When he saw MK shoot him a look that asked what the hell he was doing, he shot her one back that said mind your business. The last thing he wanted to do was talk this out in a crowded bar when she was obviously flying high.

She stared at him for a second not sure why she didn't exactly believe him. After a moment she shrugged it off because he'd never lied to her before so why would he tell her a lie her over something like this? "Are you sure you're okay Wade?"

He realized that his behavior was making her uneasy. He decided to pull his head out of his ass and plastered a smirk on his face. This one actually seemed to reach his eyes. "I'm fine. Have I told you how good you look today?"

"Well you did try to pull me back into bed this morning when I was leaving to go meet my Dad at the hospital." She reminded him as she leaned in to give him a quick kiss.

MK rolled her eyes at their cutesiness. She could a time when Wade would have gagged loudly anytime her and George displayed similar romantic gestures. She grinned when she saw Danny appear in the doorway with his good friend Paul. She waved them over and scooted so that there was more room in the booth.

When Zoe looked up she smiled when she saw Danny, realizing that she did in fact know him but she couldn't figure out from where.

Before they could be introduced the waitress finally decided to show up, "What can I get everyone?" She asked. Bitterly Zoe thought about how put out she sounded to have to be taking their orders. She wondered if she sounded like her when she first moved to Bluebell. She knew without a doubt that the answer was yes. Once again she wondered what the hell Wade had seen in her.

Just before the waitress could leave she was stopped and given one more order. After that the man in question slid into the booth beside Danny. That was when Zoe finally realized where Zoe knew him from. Danny and Paul had been residents together. She'd met Danny only once at a Christmas party where she'd made the mistake of getting drunk on spiked eggnog. To this day it was one of the most regrettable hangovers of her life.

"Paul," she whispered in surprise.

Paul's eyebrows rose for a second before his face went back to normal. Somehow when he first slid into the booth he hadn't realized that she was on the other side. Then again her hair was lighter and she was tanner than the last time he'd seen her. In fact she actually seemed relaxed. He glanced up at the ceiling for a second wondering if it was the lighting playing tricks on him. The Zoe Hart he knew rarely rested. He used to think that she was like a living, breathing vampire.

"Zoe," he greeted almost formally.

"You two know each other?" MK asked in surprise even though she really wasn't that surprised. Then again she was surprised that they seemed to know each other well enough that being across from each other was filling the booth with tension.

Wade glanced at Zoe wondering why the hell she was so tense. He looked back across at Paul and noted that his hairline was already receding.

Zoe nodded before replying, "We uh used to date."

MK looked at Danny in surprise. Danny simply shot her a look that let her know that wasn't the half of it.

When the waitress returned with the drinks Zoe practically downed hers.

- W - & - Z -

"What's wrong?" Zoe asked as they walked into the hotel room.

Drinks had been tense to say the least and just because of her less than stellar former relationship with Paul. No, Wade had basically been mute the entire time. He only spoke when addressed and eve then his answers had been short and to the point. In fact, she wouldn't have recognized the answers as being his if she hadn't been there.

She watched as he shed his jeans, jacket, and shirt quickly before practically bear-crawling into bed. If he didn't seem so upset she would have probably quickly shed her clothes and followed him.

Wade grabbed the remote and turned on the television. "Nothing," he murmured not bothering to look at her as he spoke.

"That's bullshit and we both know it. What's going on? You've been out of it all day."

"I just get in a bad mood around the holidays," he lied hoping that would get her off of his back.

"Because of Brock?" She asked her voice no louder than a whisper.

He closed his eyes and gulped. He wanted to just say yes. It'd be easier that way. Still he couldn't help but think that using Brock's death as a part of a lie was wrong.

"Wade, tell me what's going on," she urged as she pulled off her shoes and joined him on the bed. "I'm worried about you."

He gritted his teeth and finally managed. "Are you embarrassed by me?"

"What?" She asked in shock. "Why would you ask that?" 

"Because you didn't about us once while you were sitting across from your damn ex-boyfriend. You didn't mention liking Bluebell. All you talked about the entire time was surgery."

She frowned and stared down at her hands. "It isn't like that Wade."

"Well that's how it seemed Zoe. I know I'm just a bartender."

"Stop it," she commanded. "Don't cut yourself down that way. You are not just a bartender. That isn't true and we both know it."

"Yes it is Zoe. That's what I do for a living. I'm not on a television show anymore. I'm a bartender. I'm that guy that you find in every town, the one with all the promise, but who never manages to live up to it." He spat. He bit his lip and took a deep breath. "I don't want for you to wake up one day and think that you wasted your life by falling for a loser."

"You're not a damn loser Wade," she reiterated. She gently pulled his face towards her own. "Paul was an asshole. The reason we talked about surgery is because that's all we ever talked about. We dated for years and had nothing in common except for medicine. I was tense because he dumped me."

He mulled over her words. Finally he realized that he was making a big deal out of nothing. He mustered a tight smile and gently kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm sorry about that Zoe. I just-" he paused. "I just I'm not used to dating a girl like you."

She smiled weakly. "Believe me I know. Your friends make it clear all of the time."

He smiled and nodded.

"Please tell me that nothing else is bothering you. I didn't mean for you to come up here with me and for it to ruin things for us."

He gulped again and briefly considered telling her about Bernie's offer. Instead he said, "I'm good. So tell me more about your Dad's surgery."

Zoe told him all about the procedure. Well at least about the parts that she thought he'd find interesting. Then she told him about how they made up. She explained how finding out about her true paternity had crushed him. She detailed how badly he felt for her how he'd treated her. She even told him again how much her Dad really seemed to like her. She added that he thought Paul was a spineless suck up. What she didn't mention though was the Fellowship. Instead when she was done she kissed him and suggested that she change into another gift she'd bought him for Chanukah.

It wasn't until the next morning that she wondered why she hadn't mentioned it.

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: A LITTLE BIT OF DRAMA ON THE HORIZON. WADE HAS A CHANCE TO MOVE TO DENVER FOR WORK. ZOE HAS A CHANCE TO COME BACK TO NEW YORK. WHERE EXACTLY WILL THEY END UP? I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR THOUGHTS. THEY WILL MAKE A GREAT CHRISTMAS PRESENT! I'M THINKING ABOUT DOING ONE MORE SET IN NEW YORK FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE BEFORE HAVING THEM HEAD BACK TO BLUEBELL. SOME OF YOU HAVE MENTIONED GEORGE AND MK MAYBE REKINDLING THEIR ROMANCE. THAT MIGHT HAPPEN. YOU GUYS ARE LEGIT THE BEST! THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! - KRISTINE. **


	12. Chapter 12

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS ISN'T MY FAVORITE CHAPTER. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED IN ADVANCE. I HOPE YOU DON'T DISLIKE IT TOO MUCH THOUGH. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! - KRISTINE. **

**RATING: PG**

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO. **

**CHAPTER TWELVE: TALKING IT OUT **

- W - & - Z -

She groaned loudly as sun started streaming into the room and rudely disrupted her sleep. Her head was pounding. It was like her brain was reenacting that show Stomp. You know the one with the trashcans and the banging. Yeah, on a normal day she wouldn't have been a fan of that show, but in this moment it was more like actual loathing.

After a few seconds of wallowing in her own pain she managed to open one bleary eye and glanced beside her. Instead of finding Wade sleeping peacefully beside her she found the pillow covered with beautiful red hair. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she obviously tried to figure out how and why Leslie had ended up in their bed instead of her own room down the hall.

After a few seconds Leslie started to stir. She blinked a couple of times when she met Zoe's worried brown eyes. She frowned and rasped, "You don't remember last night do you?"

She cringed and shook her head. "Should I?" She asked, a hint of dread filling her voice as she asked the question.

Leslie sighed noisily and ran her fingers through her hair as she struggled to sit up. "I need to use the bathroom," she murmured. "And then I think this is a story best shared over room service."

Zoe gulped and nodded as she reached for the phone. The entire time she was ordering all she struggled to remember is the last time she'd been this irresponsible. She never got this drunk. She once went to Spring Break in Cancun with some of her closest girlfriends and a totally believable fake ID and she still had never woken up without the slightest clue as to what happened the night before.

She hung up the phone just as Leslie was returning. She smiled weakly when she realized just how disheveled she looked. She was wearing a gorgeous sparkly designer dress that reminded Zoe, a little of Taylor Swift. She had pulled her wild flaming locks into a messy bun. Her mascara was smudged. It all added up to one thing: the night before had probably made for one of those terrible texts from last night that Rose was always loudly snorting over.

"Just tell me," Zoe whispered as Leslie climbed back into bed beside her, "Was it worse than the Iron Bowl?"

"Zoe, sweetie, Auburn at least managed to score 2 TD's in the Iron Bowl," Leslie reminded her. "This was much worse than that."

Zoe groaned loudly knowing that for once Leslie probably wasn't exaggerating.

- W - & - Z -

"The night did start out of kind of positive," Leslie said as she bit into her bagel with strawberry cream cheese. "Do you remember that part?"

Zoe took a deep breath and did her best to remember. After a second it finally started to come back to her.

"_Damn where the hell was this Barrett Trotter all year?" Wade replied as he took a long pull of his beer. _

_Zoe bit her lip and grinned as she watched him and Nick exchange exuberant high-fives as Auburn scored another touchdown. She had never imagined that she'd ring in the New Year's Eve in New York City by watching Auburn play a bowl game in her hotel room with Nick, Leslie, and Wade. If Gigi were actually in New York City instead of Paris with her new older French boyfriend Jean-Henri she would have been openly disturbed. _

"_It's time for more shots!" Leslie exclaimed as she sloppily filled out another four glasses with the 18 year old Elijah Craig her parents gave Nick for Christmas. She was dressed in a beautiful sparkly green dress as if they were pre-gaming for an awards show or a really fancy St. Patty's Day party as Nick joked when they first arrived. _

_Zoe winced as she quickly took the shot. She couldn't help but notice that after a few the burn seemed to become almost ignorable numbness. She smiled and gratefully took the beer that Leslie handed her as a chaser. _

"_Are ya'll going to make us stay to the end or when it gets out of hand can we leave early? I want to see the ball drop," Leslie whined. "I got dressed up and everything." _

"_Don't jinx the game Les," Nick warned without removing his eyes from the screen. _

_She rolled her eyes and looked at Zoe. "This game better be over by 11:00." _

_Zoe chuckled and shook her head. "The ball drop is kind of overrated." _

"_If you grew up in New York City it is," Leslie countered. "If you grew up in Bluebell then it's kind of the essential New Year's Eve to do." _

_The first time Zoe ever went to the ball drop she'd been 9. Her babysitter for the evening had wanted to meet up with her friends so she snuck Zoe out way past her bedtime. At the time she'd thought it was the coolest thing she'd ever done. None of her friends had been yet. _

"_Plus you'll get to have one of those movie-worthy kisses with Wadey," Leslie pointed out. "Not that you two probably don't have a million of those everyday."_

_Zoe bit her lip and did her best to keep from grinning. _

"_You have it so bad for him. When are you going to tell him about the Fellowship?"_

"_How'd you know about that?" Zoe asked after nearly spitting out her beer in surprise. Her eyes quickly shifted towards him to see if he had heard Leslie. _

_Despite it being over a week since her dad told her about the opening being hers, she still hadn't managed to tell him the news. She was just sure that he would say no and remind her that his life was in Bluebell. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear that yet. _

"_Your Mom called me to see if I needed any help with reservations," Leslie explained as though it were obvious. "The topic just sort of came up. She's excited you're moving back." _

"_You talk to my Mom? How'd she even get your number?" _

"_I don't know probably the phonebook or Lavon or something," Leslie shrugged. She honestly hadn't put that much thought into the surprise call from the whirlwind that is Candice Hart. She did happen to think thought that the two of them had more in common than she would have guessed. They might have been in different fields but they were both women on a mission. _

"_The real question," Leslie said, "Is when are you going to tell Wade?"_

"_When I'm ready." Zoe said rather defensively. In fact she did everything but cross her arms and stomp her foot. _

"_He's a big boy Zoe. He can handle it."_

"_I know he can. The question is can I?"_

"_What do you mean?" _

_Zoe paused and shrugged. For a second she stared into the bottom of her beer. Finally she murmured, "It's not fair of me to ask him to do a long-distance relationship or even crazier to say come with me." _

"_You should let him decide that," Leslie whispered. She reached over and gently squeezed Zoe's hand. _

_She started to reply when she felt his hand being placed on her lower back. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled as they shared a quick kiss while he also grabbed a beer. _

"_What're you two talking all serious about in here?" He asked as he twisted the cap off. "You know we're going to make it to the ball drop in time."_

"_They blocked another one!" Nick exclaimed as he thrust in his fist into the air so passionately it reminded her a little of Pauly D from the Jersey Shore. _

"_More shots!" Leslie whooped. _

_Wade looked at Zoe and saw that she didn't seem nearly as happy now as she did only a few minutes before. "Are you okay darlin'?"_

_She flashed him her best reassuring smile, "Just trying to figure out how many minutes of my life each of those shots are shaving off." _

- W - & - Z -

"It's your fault," Zoe pointed out as she took a sip of her water. "You shouldn't have brought up the fellowship. I probably got all weird and moody."

"It was not my fault!" Leslie countered. "All I did was ask a question about a relevant life-changing decision. And your change in mood is not why we shared this bed last night."

"It isn't?" She asked. She wasn't sure if she really believed Leslie, but figured the least she could do is allow her to keep jogging her memory.

Leslie shook her head and sighed. "Nope. It was Wade's."

"Wade?" Zoe asked, biting her lip and frowning slightly as she tried to remember why that would have happened. Her eyes grew wide when it finally dawned on her.

"_Isn't it amazing?" Leslie asked. She was twirling in a small circle. It was obvious that all of the bourbon had finally started to catch up to her. "I can't believe you grew up here." _

_Auburn had won 43-24. They'd each done nine shots. Suffice to say all of them were a little or in Leslie's case a lot buzzed. _

_Zoe smiled as she looked around. New York City at night had always kind of taken her breath away. It was always so alive. There were so many lights. She always used to think that no truer statement had been uttered than that New York City was a city that never slept. _

"_Your cologne smells amazing," Zoe replied as she burrowed into his pea coat. Living in Alabama had made her ill equipped to handle the cold. This time last year all of the bourbon she'd had would have helped her handle walking around the city in no more than a sleeveless cocktail dress and heels that bordered on being slutty. _

"_I'd hoped you would since it's the one you bought me," he joked as he placed a kiss in her hair before whispering softly. "I like you." _

_She blushed and bit her lip. She was happy that her cheeks were already flushed her or he would have teased her mercilessly in that way of his. "I like you too." _

_Leslie squealed and began to jump up and down like a toddler beauty pagent whose mother had basically overdosed her on candy. "I think I see Ryan Seacrest!" _

"_I think my New Year's Resolution is going to be to get you to slow down," Nick joked as he gave her one of his signature sloppy kisses. "At this point you could be the spokeswoman for Kentucky bourbon." _

"_I can see it now," Zoe joked. "My name is Leslie and I love SEC Football. When my Auburn Tigers are doing something great on the field I like to toast to them. What better way than with Kentucky bourbon."_

"_Just enough kick to make you feel alive," Wade continued. _

"_But a hangover that won't make you want to crawl up and die the next morning like tequila," Zoe finished. _

_Leslie rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep from smiling. "Excuse me for being the life of the party. Anyway I thought your New Year's Resolution was going to be to marry me." _

"_That's a given," Nick said as he pulled her closer to his side when he noticed a guy eyeing her. "What's yours?" _

"_To convince Zoe that she can move back to New York City for the fellowship and make it work with Wade," she said. Her eyes flew open when she realized her mistake. _

"It was your fault!" Zoe cried.

"So it was kind of my fault," Leslie admitted cringing as though she were trying to pass a kidney stone. "But mostly we should blame it on my parent's for giving Nick 18 year old bourbon. That's like buying a 16-year-old a sportscar. Of course they're going to speed. Well of course I was going open my big mouth."

Zoe stared at Leslie for a second. "I want to be mad at you."

"You'd have every right to be mad."

"But for some reason I can't," she admitted.

"Yay!" Leslie cheered. "Because you haven't remembered everything yet and that isn't the part that ruined the entire night."

_Wade stopped walking and looked down at her. Frowning he asked, "You doubted we could handle that?"_

"_Well…" she allowed her words to trail off for a second. "We've just been so happy. I haven't been this happy in a longtime. I didn't want risk ruining it." _

"_Zoe when your Mom was telling your Aunts the good news at grandmother's house I was a little hurt that you didn't think you could trust in us enough to tell me but I understood."_

"_It's not that I didn't trust you," she tried. "I just didn't expect to be leaving in February. I thought we'd have at least until July."_

"_So you'll be in Denver and she'll be in New York. You two can make this work. Leslie and I do it." Nick pointed out. _

_Zoe and Wade both looked at them. For a second it was obvious that they had forgotten that they were having this conversation in one of the worst possible places to have an important private conversation. _

"_Denver?" Zoe asked in surprise. _

_Wade glanced down at the ground guiltily. _

"_What do you mean Denver?" Leslie asked realizing that Nick had kept this important information from her. "Why would Wade be in Denver?" _

"_I might have lied to you when you asked me about Bernie's offer. He did actually have one that was worth my time. This outdoor company in Denver wants me to help improve marketing for their brand." _

"_In Denver?" Zoe asked again as though she couldn't process those two words. "You took a job in Denver." _

"_I'm considering taking a job in Denver." He corrected lamely. _

_She nodded, but didn't say anything. _

"_I didn't know how you tell you the same way you didn't know how to tell me." He said. It was obvious that her silence was making him nervous. _

"_What kept you from taking it on the spot?" She whispered. _

_He stared at her for a second before admitting, "You." _

_She wasn't sure if she should feel happy or sad by his response. She knew it was some awkward in between that made your heart squeeze in this impossible to ignore way. _

"_You're successful and I just want to be someone you could be proud of. At the same time though I couldn't keep from thinking that the last thing I should do is move to another state when I know exactly where you're headed." _

"_Why do you think I'm not proud of you?" _

"_Because you always talk about what I used to do for a job. You never mention the Rammer Jammer. You always just talk about Southern Gentlemen. I get that there is nothing cool about dating a bartender when you're our age." _

"_There's nothing wrong with what you do for a job."_

"_Stop lying Zoe! We both know I've chosen to be a loser because it's easier than actually applying myself like you have." _

"_Stop saying that!" She demanded. She angrily wiped at her cheeks. At some point she'd started crying. "I like the way you lead your life." _

"_What happens when you stop though?" He asked. It had been the question that had been plaguing him everyday since his meeting with Bernie. "What happens when it stops being cute?" _

"_I don't even understand where all of this rage is coming from." _

"_Zoe, one day, it won't be okay that I'm a bartender. Let's just agree on that. If I don't do something to change my life one day we'll have a kid who thinks I'm a loser and doesn't understand why you'd even sleep with me let alone marry me." _

She gasped softly. "He thinks about us having kids and being married."

Leslie had caught that part too.

"Did you know he felt that way?"

"No. Honestly I didn't think Wade even had insecurities."

"_Then take the job Wade." She said. "But don't take it because you think that you have to do anything other than be yourself to make me love you." _

"_You keep saying that but I met your ex-boyfriend. He's the anti-me."_

"_Paul didn't make me nearly as happy as you do. Paul would never fly up here on a whim to support me. His kisses didn't make me weak in the knees. Why can't you see how much I care about you?" _

_He gulped. "Because unless I do something to change things I'm always going to worry that you'll meet some guy at the hospital who has more personality than Paul."_

_She looked at him in disbelief. "Do you really think that little of me?"_

"_I didn't mean it that way Zoe. This is my issue." _

"_Well then I think you should work on it on your own. I'm going back to the hotel."_

"_Zoe, wait." He urged as she gently grabbed her arm to stop her. _

"_No, Wade I can't do this. I'm not going to fight in the middle of New York City with you." She said as she shrugged him off and walked away. It took her almost a half a block to realize that Leslie had followed her. When she did she let out a small whimper as she let her envelope her in a hug. _

She looked at Leslie and frowned. "I ruined your New Year's. I'm so sorry."

"It'll all be worth it if you two get your stuff together."

"I want him to take the job because he wants and not because he feels like I'm ashamed of him."

"You two need to talk and work it out," Leslie advised. "Without an audience and a belly full of bourbon."

"Do you know where he is?"

She nodded. "He stayed with Nick in my room last night."

- W - & - Z -

"Hey," she whispered when she looked up and saw that he had returned to their room.

He looked like hell. His hair was a mess. His shirt was wrinkled and untucked. He was carrying his shoes in his right hand. If Zoe hadn't known better she would have guessed that he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.

"Hey," he replied. He tossed his boots on the floor. Slowly he lowered himself on the chair beside their bed.

For a moment they sat there in completely awkward silence.

"Listen last night was kind of terrible," she mustered finally breaking the silence. "I didn't mean for all of that to happen."

"Zoe you shouldn't be the one apologizing. It should be me. I shouldn't have gone off on you for no reason like that."

"You didn't go off on me."

"I kind of did," he admitted quietly. "Zoe I've always been kind of an asshole. I've never been afraid of much. But I'm afraid that my friends are right. I'm afraid that I don't deserve you."

"You don't think I don't worry that I don't deserve you," she said, her voice cracking on the second you.

"I've just never loved someone like I love you," he told her softly. His eyes were closed as though he was afraid to see her reaction to his proclamation.

"You love me?" She asked not sure that she heard him right.

He was only the second guy who'd ever told her this. The other one had been Paul. Even then it had been kind of like an instant reaction. Not at all like a heartfelt declaration of feelings. More like the way you say when you're getting off of the phone with your parents. Sure you mean but you don't put much thought into. It had been nothing like this.

"I think so."

"I think I feel the same way."

He let out sigh of relief.

"I want you to take the job in Denver. We can do long distance if we work hard enough." She told him. "But I want you to take it only because it's the kind of job you want. I don't want it to have anything to do with me."

"But…"

"No buts…" she insisted. "I don't care that you're a bartender. If it makes you happy then it makes me happy. But if you want to take this job in Denver then I'm going to support you."

He smiled wondering how in the hell he'd gotten this lucky. He also felt like finally a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

They were going to try to make this work. It wasn't going to be easy, but they were going to try.

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: OY. I DON'T KNOW AT ALL HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS CHAPTER. I ALSO SADLY THINK THERE ARE ONLY LIKE TWO LEFT. MAYBE THREE TOPS. I DON'T KNOW HONESTLY. THANKS FOR TUNING BACK IN. I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S EVE. I'M SORRY IF THIS CHAPTER WAS KIND OF TERRIBLE. ANGST ISN'T MY STRONG POINT. STILL I THINK THAT THERE NEEDED TO BE A LITTLE. ANYWAY I LOOK FORWARD TO READING YOUR THOUGHTS. ROSE SHOULD BE BACK IN THE NEXT CHAPTER AND SHE'S GOT HER ONLY LITTLE NEWS FOR ZOE. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! - KRISTINE. **


	13. Chapter 13

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SURPRISE! THIS IS PROBABLY NOT MY BEST CHAPTER BUT I TRIED. THAT COUNTS FOR SOMETHING…RIGHT? HAHA. **

**RATING: PGISH (I HONESTLY CAN'T REMEMBER ABOUT THE SWEAR WORD SITUATION IN THIS CHAPTER)**

**DISCLAIMER: UH, NO. STILL NO. **

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: BACK IN BLUEBELL**

- W - & - Z -

"Rose," Zoe greeted warily as she climbed out of Wade's car. She obviously hadn't expected to find Rose sitting on her porch waiting for them to get home from the airport. Still it wasn't like she wasn't happy about Rose's impromptu visit. No, her hesitation had everything to do with concern that word about her intentions to move back to New York and Wade thinking about taking a job in Denver had gotten back to her. She couldn't imagine that the 16-year-old who was her first true friend in Bluebell would take kindly to the news.

"Zoe!" Rose exclaimed or rather squealed as she launched herself off the porch. "I'm so glad you're back." She wrapped Zoe up in a hug so tight that it rivaled the strength of a python.

"It's good to see you too Rose," Wade replied feigning sadness at her not mentioning missing him.

"I'm sorry Wade. You know I missed you too. I just have had huge news to tell Zoe. I mean big. So big if I could have flown up to New York heck I might have just so that I could tell her as soon as possible and see her face at the same darn time."

Her hands and words were flying so fast that as recent as four months ago Zoe knew for fact she wouldn't have been able to follow a damn word of Rose's excited chatter. For a second she simply reveled in the fact that there was no way that Rose could have known about the fellowship and be so obviously chipper at the same time. No, it seemed that both her and Rose had news of the life changing variety.

"Well I need to go talk to George so I'll just take the bags in and let the two of you chat about this huge news," Wade said as he quickly ran their bags into the carriage house. He paused briefly to peck her cheek and gave her ass a gentle pat before flashing her his irresistible cocky smirk and hauling off in his car like he was doing his best impression of one of the Duke Boys.

Zoe watched his car kick up dust for a second wondering briefly what it would be like to not see anything like that anymore. There certainly weren't any dirt roads in New York City to create such a spectacular movie moment kind of scene.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked as she noticed just how far off Zoe seemed to be. She'd been expecting Zoe to look tired, but alive after spending two weeks in her old stomping grounds. She certainly hadn't expected to find her close friend seeming this quiet or out of sorts.

Zoe blinked a couple of times before smiling and nodding. "Yeah it's just been a long day. Let's go inside so you can tell me all about this big news."

Rose studied her for a second before deciding that if Zoe wanted her to know what was up she would tell her.

"Did something happen with Frederick Dean while we were gone?"

Rose snorted and shook her head. "Yeah, but not with me. Magnolia let him go to third base."

"Oh Rose I'm so sorry to hear that," she murmured softly. For a second she wondered what exactly constituted as third base in Bluebell and hoped for Magnolia's reputations sake that it did not constitute the same adult acts that it did in New York.

She waved her hand through the air as if she were just trying to swat a fly while also letting out a very unladylike snort. "Oh Rose nothing. I'm fine with it. I mean completely fine with it. I met a guy from Mobile. His name is Jack O'Neil and he plays baseball for UMS Wright."

"Where? When?" Zoe asked not sure she could believe it.

Rose grinned like a kid on Christmas morning and launched into the story of how she'd managed to meet Jack. "He got a flat tire on his way into town. He was going to Miss Anne's for an antique clock for his grandma as a Christmas present. Anyway I just happened to be driving by and gave him a lift. We talked the whole time. When I dropped him back off at his car with a new tire he asked for my number. He's driven into town to see me nearly a dozen times since then. He's just flat out amazing Zoe. He is easily ten times cuter than Frederick Dean and did not even glance Magnolia's way when we ran into her during our second date."

Zoe let out a squeal that seemed more likely to come out of a teenager than a nearly 30 year old doctor. "I'm so glad to hear that you are over that tool Frederick Dean. I mean any boy that can't see how much more special you are than Magnolia is a fool." Zoe wrapped the petite brunette teen up in a tight hug like the one she had received when they first arrived. Again she was hit by the thought that she wasn't sure what her life was going to be like in New York City after she'd somehow fallen in love with Bluebell without realizing it.

"What's wrong? You've got that look on your face again like you found out that you had an inoperable tumor or Khloe and Lamar weren't really in love after all."

"I've got some news of my own," she whispered as she stared at the throw pillow that she was holding in her lap.

"Did something happen with you and Wade?"

"Kind of," she admitted staring very resolutely at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever laid eyes on. "I got my fellowship back in New York. Apparently the guy they picked over me was completely unprepared for it."

Rose gasped before quietly managing the question that had been up until recently almost unthinkable, "You're leaving?"

Zoe nodded finally making eye contact with Rose. She wasn't surprised when she saw the young girl's eyes were brimming with tears. What did surprise her was the fact that hers were too.

"I should have known that God finally lead me to a nice guy to fill the void of you heading back North."

Zoe sniffled softly as she wiped her eyes. She couldn't contain the grin that Rose's words caused from spreading.

"What is going to happen with you and Wade?"

This was the question that had been plaguing Zoe since their discussion in the hotel room. They had agreed that they would be willing to try and make long distance work. Still, whether or not that was actually possible was the million-dollar question. Neither of them had much experience being in a relationship that mattered so much to them that they considered putting it up above work and everything else. Despite all of this Zoe knew without a doubt that she was not going to give Wade up that easily. Especially not when he was the first guy who thought her intensity was cute.

"We're going to give long distance a go," Still even as she said the words she could hear just how unsure she really was about the whole situation.

- W - & Z -

Wade released a quiet sigh of relief when he pulled up to George's house and found that Lemon's car was nowhere in sight. While he did not have the same problem with the bubbly and opinionated blonde that his family did, he still figured this was a conversation that he would rather have in private. He grabbed the 12-pack that he'd picked up on his way before heading up the small walkway. After ringing the doorbell he found himself staring at the ridiculous "house divided" sign that Lemon had hung up above their front door.

"Wade…" George greeted obviously surprised after pulling open the front door. "I didn't know you were back yet."

"We just rolled back into town today," he explained. "You mind if I come in? I brought beer." He held up the 12-pack in his right hand as if to punctuate his point.

George nodded and waved him in. "Can you believe Trotter?"

"Fuck no," Wade said. He was still shocked about how the backup QB had performed in the bowl game. "MK sent me at least 10 texts asking if this was real life or some sort of dream."

"Did you see her?"

Wade's right eyebrow rose ever so slightly. If George was trying to pretend that Wade mentioning MK hadn't fazed him in the slightly, he wasn't kidding anybody. "That I did."

George stiffened.

"You have a problem with me seeing MK George? I reckoned you wouldn't since you're marrying Lemon and everything."

"Of course I don't have a problem that you saw MK." George shot back but his tone said otherwise. He took a deep breath and had a long pull of his beer before stating, "I'm just a little surprised is all. How is she?"

"She's good. She misses you, but she's good." Wade shot his good friend a pointed look that asked something along the lines of what the hell do you expect. "You know sometimes I can't remember why it is you two broke up."

"Me either," George admitted softly. He knew that it had something to do with a formal for his fraternity. He had something crass and pissed her off. Still was it worth throwing their relationship away for? He doubted it. "Is this why you came to visit me? To torture me about MK?"

"You wish. More like I wanted you to team with Bernie to negotiate a contract for me."

George's eyebrows shot up so high they nearly got lost in his dark hairline. "You're going back to television?"

Wade vehemently shook his head. "No, of course not. This outdoor clothing company in Denver wants my help diversifying their brand."

"Diversifying their brand?"

"They want me to help make their gear a little more Southern friendly. You know what I mean? They want me to help them become the next Columbia or The North Face."

George picked at the label on his beer and appeared to be mulling over what Wade had to say.

"You don't think I can do it?" Wade asked. He tried to keep his voice even but knew that he had done a miserable job.

"Between stepping up and becoming Zoe Hart's boyfriend and now this," George started. "Well let's just say I'm not sure what there that you can't do." He flashed him a crooked grin. "What did Zoe say about you taking this job?"

"She wants me to do what makes me happy."

"And you think this will?"

"I'm not sure to be honest." He replied softly. "All I know is I've got to do more than waste my talents at the Rammer Jammer. Plus if there is anyone who knows what Southern frat guys like it's me. They were mine and Brock's key demographic."

"But it sounds like something is holding you back," George pointed out.

Wade nodded and stared down into his beer. Something was holding him back. He didn't want to move to Denver. First off he knew enough to know that Denver's high altitude was too high for him. Plus even more importantly he didn't want to do long distance with Zoe. He didn't want to wonder if Paul would suddenly sprout a personality. He didn't want to have to try and negotiate their schedules so they could Skype and call each other. This job was right up his alley, but it wasn't going to take him where he wanted to be in his life. Not by a long shot.

"Listen Wade, I'm no expert on relationships. I can't say for certain if I've ever been in a healthy one. After all, MK and I could barely go a month without the two of us breaking up over something ridiculous. Whether or not Lemon and I will actually make it to the altar has yet to be seen. Still, whatever this is that you and Zoe are doing. Don't jeopardize it. If you don't think being in Denver is where you need to be then don't go there."

Wade considered what George was saying. Even if Tucker was terrible at relationships Wade knew he could trust him about this. "So you and ole Bernie see if you can negotiate it so that I don't actually have to live in Denver."

"We can do that," George assured him. "So you're going to set up an office here in Bluebell?"

"I was thinking more like New York City. Zoe's headed back up that way for her Fellowship."

"She got it?"

Wade nodded and didn't bother to contain his excited grin. If he felt this excited he could only imagine what her Dad must have felt. "They canned the guy they originally picked. They want her back in February."

"And so you Wade Kinsella are just going to pack up and follow a girl to New York City?"

"Isn't that what you did except you didn't have the courage to end it with the girl you left behind here." He retorted before he could even stop the words from leaving his mouth.

George's eyes widened as if Wade had shot. "Ouch."

"I'm just saying George. I'm going to do what it takes to make this work. You know God bless her I think MK would take you back in a heartbeat George." Wade stood up from his seat. "Just think about it. I know I'm not the only one of us who is capable for surprising people."

George seemed to be almost in a trance but did manage to say, "Tell Zoe I said congratulations on the whole Fellowship" before Wade left as abruptly as he came.

- W - & - Z -

"So what was Rose's life altering news?" Wade asked when he walked into Zoe's carriage house and found her pouring over one of her medical journals. She didn't have a stitch of makeup on and was wearing one of his old frat t-shirts. To say she took his breath away was an underestimate.

Zoe stuck her highlighter in the journal so that she wouldn't lose her page when she closed it. "She met a boy. A nice boy from Mobile who thinks she's worth his attention more than Magnolia."

Wade didn't want to find Rose's news sweet. He didn't want to grin and bit his lip as if she was his little sister. And yet he did. Because damn if there was a girl in this town who deserved to meet a nice guy more than Rose he'd yet to meet her. Plus how could he root against the girl who encouraged Zoe to take a chance on him.

Zoe smiled as she watched his features soften at her news. She stood up her couch and met him where he was standing. "You are too sweet Wade. I can tell you are just as excited for Rose as I am."

"If you tell Leslie that I was I will deny it though." He assured her as he accepted one of her sugary sweet kisses. "Have I told you how sexy you are in my shirt?"

"I seem to recall this being your favorite of my many looks." She joked as she dragged him back to the couch.

These were the moments where she was sure if people saw her and Wade they would get it. They would stop making the dumb jokes about how unlikely of a couple the two of them were. They would stop doubting that the two of them could work. Instead they would smile and think about just how sweet the two of them are.

"You know I'm one hell of a lucky guy," he whispered into her hair. "I'll never understand how I managed to snag someone as beautiful and insane as you are Zoe Hart."

"I know you meant that as a compliment but it seems like it could have easily gone the other way. I'm not sure if being called insane is a term of endearment." She said as she allowed herself to snuggle into the crook of his arm. "Either way I would go on a limb and say I'm pretty lucky too."

"George told me to tell you congratulations on the whole Fellowship deal."

"Is that where you ran off to?" She hadn't had time to really dwell on where he was headed because of Rose's sudden arrival. Still, it had occurred to her that he had been gone for a while when an hour had passed and she still hadn't heard from him.

"He's working with Bernie on the whole contract deal. Plus I had to needle him about MK."

"He must have loved that," she replied sarcastically. If there was one thing that Zoe was fairly confident about concerning George Tucker was that he was better at dishing criticism than he was at accepting it.

He shrugged indifferently. "If I hadn't bugged him about it a little bit then Leslie would have never let me be. Plus no one even remembers why they broke up in the first place."

"She misses him."

"I know," he sighed. "And that's what I told him. The sad part is that he misses her. He won't say it but he does. I just wish Brock was here to light him up about it. He was dumb enough he would have done it and wouldn't have cared if it pissed George off."

"You know you can talk about him more. You never really mention him. But the thing is when you do talk about him it really means a lot to me."

What she didn't say was that when Wade talked about Brock it was like getting to know this other part of him. It was like getting a chance to know his best friend. It made her feel like she was a bigger part of his life than he realized.

"Until lately I just was never sure what to say," he admitted. "I never knew if people wanted to hear those old stories."

"They do," she assured him. "I do."

"Well then how about I tell you the story of how Brock and I almost got arrested in Texas."

Zoe chuckled softly as she listened to his story. Still, in the back of her mind all she could think was that they could do this. Her and Wade could make this work.

- W - & - Z -

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: HAPPY THANKSGIVING! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER? I WAS THINKING ABOUT BRINGING MK BACK. I'VE REALLY FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE CONCEPT OF HER AND GEORGE. LESLIE IS SURE TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE NEXT CHAPTER. I HAVE A SURPRISE UP MY SLEEVE. I'LL TRY TO UPDATE AS SOON AS I CAN. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR THOUGHTS. - KRISTINE. **


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